Walk of Life
by Kiba Wolf
Summary: AU LinkxZelda. A little mini-series: teenage Link and Zelda find themselves walking through school and life, discovering that there are times to run and times to stand your ground. Rated T for mild child abuse, language, and violence. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

"I want you out of my house, I want you out of my home, and I want it done now!" he screamed, grasping the nearest vase and hurtling it at the whimpering boy across from him. "Why are you still here? Go away and _never_ look back!"

A cry rang forth from the boy's mouth, and he did the only thing he could do: he ran. He opened the door, fell down the front steps, leapt up, and took off. He ran and ran and ran, until he felt like there was no air in the world left for him. Tears made a sloppy trail that anyone could follow—not that anyone would.

_Why? Why? What did I do wrong? Why me?_

After nearly a full day of running, night started to descend and the boy, at last, stopped his crazed flight. Sobbing loudly in an alleyway far from home, he questioned his very existence. Briefly he wondered where he would go next, and how he would survive—but only briefly. As the sun set, first bathing the world in twilight and then in the utter darkness only found in a small town, the boy decided it didn't matter—he didn't plan on living long. And as he sat, watching what he believed to be his last sunset, he silently prayed, asking for forgiveness.

_I'm sorry I made you angry, Daddy. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you—I wish I could've been. I'm so sorry… so sorry…_

* * *

><p><em>Shit.<em>

Caught again.

"Well, well, if it isn't our little Robin Hood."

"Hood_lum_ is more like it."

Then they were laughing, like the whole thing was just one big freaking joke. I'm so sick of this. "Let me go." Yeah, just like that. Don't yell; don't let them get a rise out of you.

"Shut up, boy. You're in no position to talk right now." The big gym teacher stood, nostrils flaring like an angry bull, with a cocky math teacher by his side. How did I get myself caught by these two idiots of all people?

"Indeed, Mr. Link." Who the hell used a title with a person's first name anyways? I struggled again, not like a little kid. I didn't swing my legs out and bawl; I just tried to loosen my arms from the meaty paws of the football coach. It felt like the blood stopped flowing to my hands. Isn't manhandling against school policy or something?

"I didn't do anything, for your information," I retorted briskly. All I wanted at that moment was for the big guy to let go of me. If there's one thing I hate more than people touching me, it's people touching me _while_ insulting me.

"Listen, Shrimp, we know you're the one who's been sneaking into school at night, and it's time you confessed," the coach growled.

"Listen, Fatty, I don't know what you're talking about, now let me go!" _Come on, Link. Keep it cool, don't yell. _

"Listen, Orphan Reject—!" And I was gone. Something inside snapped along with the gym monkey's arm, and before I knew it, I was running. The math teacher shouted after me, yelling for someone to stop me, but no one would. They aren't all idiots; they wouldn't mess with someone who smashed the head football coach's arm in half.

I rounded another corner, breathing so hard that it felt like nothing at all. Just listen to the pounding of my footsteps, forget everything else, just stop thinking. That was easy enough, but why…

_Why can't I stop running?_

Suddenly I felt exhausted, despite the fact that I only ran outside to the bleachers that stretched around the football field. Ah, yes, the pride and joy of the school: the football team. Despite the fact they never win, and haven't won for something close to five years. I plopped down on one of the cool plastic seats, and gazed down at the track that wrapped around the field. I noticed a few girls warming up—must be the track team.

Sighing heavily, I used my hood as a pillow, and leaned back to rest my head on the seat behind me. Why am I always doing stupid stuff like that? As much as I loathe this school, why do I bother breaking in every night? Just for the thrill? Stupid.

"Stupid!"

"Excuse me?"

I sat up, feeling the blood rush to my head, to look at whoever interrupted me. Some blonde chick.

"What?"

"I was wondering if you're calling me stupid, yourself stupid, or just yelling for no reason."

"Oh." I wonder if she realizes how awkward this is. People don't normally walk up to me for any reason and start talking. "Uh, I think that answer's D?"

"Wow, if that's how you answer on all of your tests, I bet I could predict your next report card."

I smirked involuntarily and couldn't help myself. "Oh really? Then tell me, O Fortune Teller, what will my next report card look like?"

She really started hamming it up, waving her hands around, and scrunching her face up. "I see in your future… many Fs! But wait what's this!" I leaned forward a little more and simply had to inquire in a shocked voice:

"What? What is it? Tell me, O Fortune Teller!"

She smiled sweetly, before getting back into character, "I see a D! A D+ in fact!"

"It's a miracle!" I screamed, a little louder than intended. A few of the track girls looked up at me, probably thinking somewhere along the lines of, "What is that _freak_ doing?" Not that it really mattered what they thought. The blonde-in-running-shoes next to me let out a small giggle at the strange looks.

"I think my friends want me to come to practice now," she said, turning away from me.

_Okay, so go?_ I thought after she stood there for a few more moments without saying anything.

"Actually," she piped up, turning to face me again. "Uhm, my name's Zelda, and I didn't catch yours…?" She offered me her hand and I was sorely tempted to swat it away, laugh, and walk off. Not that I'm a mean person, but people and I don't typically mix. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I was friends with anyone for longer than one party. This thing, with this girl, could go for a whole day… wouldn't that be something?

"Yeah, Link."

"Yeah Link?" she retorted.

"Just Link."

"Okay," she replied with one of those too-sweet smiles. "I'll see you around Just Link." I opened my mouth to correct her, but before I could get another word out she jogged down to her friends.

Been one hell of a day so far.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_Hey don't expect much, but I decided to continue this… it'll be a mini-series, not really a fully fleshed out super awesome multi-chapter multi-layer story, but it'll be a little fluff and a little drama and it'll take place over several chapters. Anyways that's about it, enjoy. _

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Two<em>

I trudged home after school that day with two things on my mind: the detention and discipline I would receive when I showed my face in class the next day, and…

That girl.

I knew most of the kids at school so it was kind of weird not recognizing her since she was on the track team and all. Although I wasn't exactly everyone's best friend, I could supply them with certain goods that they'd be hard pressed to get on their own. If there was one thing this school had taught me it was that everyone from the jocks to the dweebs needed something.

Actually that was probably the only thing the school had taught me.

Shaking my head of the thoughts I lumbered up the stairs to my little, hidden away apartment and threw my school bag on the ground unceremoniously. I really wanted to just crash tonight—the day had seemed particularly draining—but I had work.

With a sigh I headed to the tiny bathroom to wash up and get ready for the demeaning job.

I guess everyone had to work sooner or later, but not for the first time I wished I had parents to take care of all the finances like basically every other kid. Working got to be a real pain with clowns like those teachers hounding you all day. Yeah, I really just wanted to crash and burn, piss the night away.

Drying my face on a scratchy towel, I headed over to the fridge, praying for some kind of leftovers to magically appear.

Nope, no such luck.

"Well, gee, this sucks," I muttered out loud, smirking a bit. Same old, same old.

I would have to grab a bite on the way home, and that wouldn't be until nearly eleven so that meant another night of fast food. I patted my poor overworked stomach. Youthful heart attack, here I come.

I glanced at the clock. The day had made me feel rather sluggish, but the time on the clock perked me up like hot coffee down my throat. "_Shit_!"

I flew down the stairs, around the corner and fiddled with padlock on a bike at the base of the apartment complex. Hopefully the owner wouldn't mind if I borrowed it for the night.

Racing down the road I couldn't help but think I should probably invest in one of these myself some day.

Oh well.

I arrived at work several minutes later, barely managing to punch in on time. Heaving a sigh of relief I grabbed an apron hung by the back door and tossed it on.

Two things about my work: it sucked and the boss was a prick.

Not all that unusual, but that didn't stop me from hating it all the more.

I walked up to the cash register and slouched against the counter, checking out the crowd for the evening. It would seem I had actually lucked out for once.

The dinner rush was trickling in slowly, like a crack in an inflatable pool instead of a dam bursting, and all the customers were somewhere in their 20s.

The young adults were always easiest to deal with unless they came in a pack looking for trouble, but those were usually pretty easy to spot. They were past their rebellious teen years, but before midlife settled in and they started bossing me around, talking about back in their day. Don't even get me started on the working parents who came in with bawling brats.

Imagining punching that demographic in the face always put me in a better mood.

The only problem with slow workdays was, well, they're slow. Although it's nice to relax and not rush around flipping burgers and muttering obscenities, it was so _damn_ boring sitting around and doing nothing for the entire eight-hour shift.

Just as I was about to head to the back to check on my co-workers the bell on the door jingled softly, signaling the approach of hungry customers. Or bored people walking in off the street; I'd had my fair share of that experience as well. Damn hobos need to find a box to live in or something. I was seventeen for hell's sake and I had a job _and_ a place to live. Plus I even went to school sometimes.

I looked over and nearly shit a brick.

_It's that girl from earlier!_ I thought in frustration.

What was I supposed to do? Take her order? No way. I called into the back, "Hey someone wanna take this? I gotta take a piss."

The response I got back was a prompt, "Hell no."

"Assholes," I muttered darkly.

"Excuse me?" the blonde—what was her name… oh right, Zelda—asked.

"Ah nothing," I replied quickly, giving her my most winning smile, which just happened to look like someone kneed me in the balls. "Uh, what can I get for you?"

She had this light playing in her eyes, a certain mischievous look, and somewhere in the back of my head little alarms were going off.

"How about a big, tall order of you?" she purred, leaning in closer. I felt my face heat up and my stomach do a little flip.

Then I noticed the girls behind her busting a gut, and the feeling left as quickly as it came.

"Ha ha," I answered bleakly. "No, really what do you want?"

She smiled, giving me that ever-so-classic "Oh, relax!" look. "How about—," she glanced behind her, counting the number of people in her posse, "—ten for here."

"Didn't realize the track team ate like track horses," I muttered, turning away to call out the order.

"Excuse me?" one of her friends snapped angrily. "How about you let me talk to your boss?"

Zelda laughed nervously and stepped in to diffuse the situation before I could say anything. "Hey, relax, he's just joking around. You have to admit we had that one coming."

Her friend didn't look very convinced, but turned away with a huff anyways.

_Biiiitch, _I sang in my head. Best not to let that one slip, or I would find myself slipping out before my boss could kill me.

The girls walked off to find a table, and I'll be honest, I stared at Zelda's ass the whole time.

A few minutes later the insta-burgers were done and I delivered them promptly to the table. The group seemed to be giggling over something, but I wasn't sure what. Although, whatever it was, Zelda didn't look very comfortable talking about it.

Repressing the "be-the-hero" instinct in my gut, I dropped the burgers off and retreated behind the counter.

I observed the group, and whatever they had been talking about, they were still going on about. As the conversation continued Zelda's smile and laugh grew more and more forced. I glanced over at the clock. Still two hours left in my shift.

After a while I gave up on debating whether or not I should go over and check on Zelda. I wouldn't want to embarrass her in front of her precious friends.

Plopping down on the little stool behind the counter I prepared to ride the rest of the shift out in utter boredom, when a crash came from the other side of the counter. I jumped up partially in surprise and partially in concern. Mostly concern over the fact that my boss would skin me if something happened on my shift.

I stood up in time to see Zelda rushing out the door, with her friends all sitting at the table, whispering and rolling their eyes. Several minutes later a scream filtered in from behind the store.

There was an alley back there, a bad place to get caught on a night like this. Either no one else noticed or no one else cared, but I couldn't repress that stupid hero instinct anymore.

"Screw it," I muttered, rushing outside.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Did I mention this story was going to be horribly cliché and cheesy? Well it is, but hey, favorite it if you're a cheese-monger. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

I burst through the backdoor and into the alleyway, looking frantically for the source of the scream. At the end closer to the customer exit a man stood, looming over something.

_Or someone,_ I thought worriedly.

Approaching cautiously I called out, "Hey, what're you doin' back here?"

He turned around in surprise and then glared at me. "Shut up shrimp," he growled. "It's none of your business."

I looked pass him and saw Zelda on the ground, eyes wide in fear. "Like hell it isn't," I growled right back.

The attacked sneered at me and asked, "What're you gonna do about it then? Hu, Shrimp?"

Instead of wasting another second talking to the idiot I pulled back and let my fist fly into his face with a satisfying crack. He stumbled back, tripping over his own feet. I quickly made my way to Zelda to check up on her.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

She took a deep, shaky breath, but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, I'm okay. He just shook me up a little." Helping her to her feet, I looked back at the troublemaker, who was still clutching his bleeding nose with one hand.

"You're going to regret that, Shrimp," he threatened, backing away slowly. "Mark my words."

"Shut the hell up and get out of here before I decide to really kick your ass," I warned, leveling a steely glare at him.

He spat off to the side, but walked off, done for the time being. I had a bad feeling I was going to get jumped for it later though. Sighing, I let it go; no point in worrying about it for now.

"Thank you," Zelda whispered, bringing my attention back to her. "Oh gods I feel awful for teasing you earlier now."

I gave a small chuckle. "Well, I wouldn't have let you get jumped just for teasing me, obviously." _Duh, obviously_, I thought to myself, internally flinching at my word choice. _I just saved her didn't I? Gods I'm such an idiot. _

"Obviously," she agreed, smiling a bit. There was a moment of awkward silence before she spoke again. "Uh, I had better get home now."

That reminded me of her so-called friends. "What about your friends? Aren't they still inside?" Oddly enough she didn't seem embarrassed by the question. If anything she seemed a little… hurt.

"No, I'm ready to go home," she restated, turning and walking away. I took a look at my watch. An hour left in my shift. Either my boss had noticed I was gone already and I was screwed anyway, or he hadn't and wouldn't so I was in the clear.

"Hey!" I called, quickly catching up with her. "Are you walking home?"

"Yeah," she answered uncertainly, giving me a curious look.

"Well, uh, can I walk you home then?" I asked a bit uncertainly. _Jeez, man up_, I thought to myself in frustration. "I mean just to help me rest easier tonight."

She laughed a bit and nodded. "Alright, if it'll help you sleep."

We started to head down the street, leaving the eerie alley behind us. The first few minutes were pretty awkward; I guess we both weren't really sure where to start a conversation.

Finally she said, "Thanks for helping me out back there."

"Uh, no problem. Someone had to," I answered modestly.

"No, I think if not for you being there no one would've helped me," she replied angrily, although I wasn't sure what she was mad at exactly. The fact that it happened or the fact that I was the one to come to her rescue?

I nodded anyways. "Yeah, like I said it's no big deal."

She giggled a bit and I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "You're pretty modest, considering your reputation as such a tough guy."

I barked a laugh in agreement. "Hey, not all tough guys have to be arrogant assholes."

"I guess so, but then again I guess not all arrogant assholes are tough guys either," she remarked, smirking.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"That guy in the alley," she explained. "He talked a lot, but that didn't get him very far against you."

"Oh yeah," I muttered. I scratched the back of my head absentmindedly, wondering if I should bring up the event that made her leave in the first place. What harm could it do? "So, what happened earlier?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, glancing at me curiously.

"With your friends or whatever," I clarified. "I just figured the way you looked they must have said something to upset you."

"Oh that," she said guardedly. It was painfully obvious she didn't want to go into details.

"I mean, it's none of my business or anything so…"

"No. It's fine," she quickly reassured. "Yeah, they were going on about something, but it's no big deal."

"Ah, okay," I responded easily. No need to push the subject if she didn't want to get into it, although I couldn't help but wonder what had happened exactly. Maybe I could shake down one of the track girls later, although it wasn't really in my style to pressure girls.

Lapsing back into silence, I started to wonder just how far away her house—.

"Oh _shit!_ The bike!" I exclaimed, slapping my hand to my forehead.

Zelda jumped in surprise and stopped to look at me. "The what?"

"The bike," I groaned. "I forgot I—uh—I borrowed a bike and I left it back at the store. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go back tonight."

"Oh I'm sorry, I am troubling you aren't I?" she responded sadly.

"No, it's no big deal," I reassured quickly. "No one wants to go back to work after they've punched out, but walking home with you makes it worth it."

She gave me an odd look before a sly smirk spread across her lips. "Oh is that so?"

I felt my neck heat up a bit and started walking again to distract myself. "Yeah. It's nice to know I'm good for something." She caught up with me again and I noticed her looking at me curiously.

"Just because your grades suck doesn't mean you're good for nothing," she said after a long moment.

"I didn't say that," I responded irritably, partially to hide my embarrassment. I wasn't exactly used to people saying decent things about me.

"It sounded like that's what you mean to say though," she said, pressing the subject.

I sighed and shoved my hands in my pockets. "Well it's not, so just drop it." Gods I was acting like a child.

She shrugged. "Okay, sorry. Didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," I snapped, almost immediately regretting my tone.

"Sorry," she apologized, head bowed.

"No, no. I meant it's fine, like no big deal. Sorry, I'm just a little tired I guess." I took my hands back out of my pockets and rubbed them on my pants, fidgeting.

"I'd imagine you must be," she answered, her tone throwing me off a bit.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"You go to school and work," she answered. "That's saying a lot about your stamina right there."

"I only go to school when I'm bored and I feel like it," I explained, not wanting to totally wreck my rep.

"That would explain the Fs," she said with a laugh. I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Oh here we are!"

I looked up to see that we had walked into a local suburb. Nice two story houses lined the well-lit streets. "You live here?" I asked in surprise.

"Yep, right there," she said pointing to a proud, white house with a blue door. "I'll see you later," she said, waving quickly before taking off across the street and up to her house. She let herself in and closed the door without once looking back.

I walked across the street like a man possessed. What was a I going to do? Knock on her door and then what? Say 'Oh hey, I missed you already so decided to come over.' No way. Besides I would see her again, no big deal. And yet…

Some elusive feeling drew me to the house and I paused before her door, listening. Inside I could hear the distinct sound of shouting voices, an argument of some sort.

Slowly I backed away from the house and crossed the street again before taking off running.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

The next day I found myself jobless and irritated. I had returned to the store to pick up the bike only to find the boss waiting for me. Of course I tried to explain that someone was getting jumped on our property, but he didn't really care. Shocker.

And, of course, it was pouring rain.

I wasn't really sure why, but I actually kind of wanted to go to school today. Maybe it was the lack of anything really productive to do, or the tantalizing aspect of a warm and dry place to hang out. Although, then again, maybe I just wanted to see how Zelda was.

Which was stupid, of course, it's not like I'm her dad or anything.

Either way, I walked into the school sodden and grumpy and took a seat in my first hour class. As the teacher took roll call she skipped right over my name. I cleared my throat and raised my hand.

"Uh, yes?" the teacher said uncertainly.

"You didn't call my name," I explained slowly.

She looked back at her clipboard. "I'm sorry, are you new?" Several kids snickered.

"Uh, no," I answered even more uncertainly. Was this some kind of practical joke?

"Well, you're not on my roster, so why don't you head down to the principal's office and work this out?" she suggested with an overly kind smile. "Here, I'll write you a pass."

I slunk up to her desk, feeling a bit embarrassed. Bad enough classrooms made me nervous, now I'm the center of attention as well. I snapped up the pass she offered and jetted out of the cursed room.

Marching down the hallway to the main office I couldn't do much more than stare at my feet. Coming today had been a bad idea; I don't know what I was thinking.

This is why I hated school so much. Everyone was so judgmental and everything had to be in perfect order all the time. Why couldn't she just scratch my name in at the bottom of roll and call it good? What about detracting from the learning environment? I sighed out loud. They didn't care; they've never cared, just like the rest of the world.

So distracted by my negative thoughts, I didn't notice the person walking towards me until I ran headlong into her, causing her papers to go flying everywhere.

"Shit sorry!" I exclaimed, totally broken from my trance as I scrambled to pick up the papers.

To my surprise she laughed. "Oh it's no problem." I looked up to find myself face-to-face with a pretty redheaded girl, obviously another student.

In a daze I offered up the papers I had collected. We both stood up simultaneously and she blushed a bit at me, causing my face to go red as well.

"Sorry again," I muttered.

"Really, it's no problem," she reassured with a giggle. "We all get distracted sometimes."

"Uh, yeah," I answered, the tips of my ears still red.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, I had best be on my way then!"

She started to walk past me, but I called out, "Hey, I didn't catch your name!"

Stopping in mild surprise, she turned, smiled, and answered, "Malon. You?"

"Link."

She smiled again. "Well see you around Link!"

"See you," I mumbled watching her walk on down the hallway. Hmm. Well that was weird. Shaking my head I continued on towards the office, noticing the retreating figure of Zelda at the far end of the hallway.

"Crap," I sighed.

Oh well, nothing to do about it now. Maybe she got the wrong idea, maybe not, but what did I care at this point? Not like I came because of her anyways.

I arrived at the office, and considering what a morning it had been so far, I don't know why I was surprised to find it in utter chaos. Secretaries were running back and forth, dropping papers into various drawers and hustling groups in and out of different rooms.

Standing in the middle, feeling like a sore thumb, I wondered what in the world could be going on that had everyone in such a flurry. Finally one of the secretaries noticed me.

"Oh hello darling! What can I do for you?" she asked in that motherly voice secretaries had. Actually the voice kind of freaked me out. I always wondered if they went through training or if the voice was just natural and came with the territory.

"Uh for some reason I'm not on the roster for a class that I've been in all semester," I explained, handing over the pass that had taken a bit of a beating along the way.

"Hmm. Well that's no good," she muttered. Sitting down at her computer she asked, "What's your name?"

"Link."

She looked back up at me questioningly.

"Come on how many kids in this school are named Link?" I asked sarcastically. She gave a little huff and typed furiously at her keyboard.

"Hmm. This is odd. You're not on the list at all. It's L-i-n-k right?" she asked, fretting tone giving the illusion of caring.

"Duh," I mumbled.

"What was that?" she glared pointedly at me.

"Yes, that's correct," I answered more clearly.

"Well, let's take you in to see the principal then."

I followed her to yet another room where a self-important man sat fiddling with the pens on his desk. Tax dollars at work.

"Oh! What is it?" he asked irritably. Obviously his pen collection was more important than a student.

"This young man claims to go to school here, but we have no records of him," the secretary explained, totally oblivious of the principals annoyance.

"Well young man take a seat, we'll get to the bottom of this," he answered, looking at me, full-on I'm-the-good-guy mode activated.

"Thanks," I muttered. The secretary flitted out of the office, leaving the principal and I to stare at each other for a moment before he spoke up.

"So what's your name son?" he asked, full of fake joy at my presence.

"Link," I answered once again. I felt stupid repeating my name over and over to all of these idiots.

Suddenly his face paled and his smile slipped into a frown. "Oh. Well. I'm sorry, I suppose you weren't properly informed."

"Informed about what?" I asked, the annoyance bubbling inside me all day starting to show.

"You've been expelled," he explained.

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><p><strong>AN:** _I'm kind of surprised with the low review count on this story, but regardless, I wanted to mention that information on chapter updates can be found on my profile now if you're ever curious. Till next time!_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_Sorry about the wait, I was sick and busy this week. Enjoy the chapter!_

_Chapter Five_

"What?" I asked, too dumbfounded to raise my voice or really act surprised. "Expelled? How?"

The principal cleared his throat nervously. "Well, you did break a teacher's arm and you've skipped more days than you can probably count."

"Uh, are you insulting me on top of all of this?" I demanded angrily.

"Look," he said, holding up his hands in a pacifying manner. "I don't want to fight with you about this, but the truth is you don't even act like you want to be here."

"No one wants to be in school!" I exclaimed, with my overall frustration barely restrained. It had been a bad twenty-four hours; I didn't need this idiot trying to kick me out of school on top of it. Not that I cared, but it was the easiest way to pass the time when I was bored and—and well, it was easier to find Zelda here. I knew where her house was, but that didn't mean I could just go over there and start stalking her.

"Fair enough," he placated. "But you've only turned in a handful of assignments, you've skipped the majority of the year, and at this point it's nearly impossible for you to graduate."

"I'm only a junior!" I shouted, standing up. "I still have time!"

"Please, take a seat," he requested coolly. I did as I was told; I didn't want to come off as a loose canon right now. Deep breath, deep breath.

"Look, there must be something I can do," I pleaded, willing to bargain if necessary. If he wanted me to actually attend I could do it. I would need something to do since I was jobless at the moment anyways.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, realizing we were at the kind of point where everything said had to be carefully considered. "Look, I won't lie to you. The chance of you graduating on time is slim to none. You would need to work very hard to make up all of the lost credits."

"Is it possible?"

He paused, either counting in his head or debating whether or not to give me any hope. Gods I needed some. "Yes."

"I can do it," I replied confidently.

"Link, look…" he started, leaning back in his chair with a great sigh.

"No, trust me just this once, okay?" I flat-out pleaded. "I can do this because I _want _to do this."

It was either inspiring or pitiful, but either way he agreed. He put me back in all of my classes, and we made a plan to make up the credits. He was right, it would be a lot of work. Maybe I'll just disappoint him in the end, but right now it didn't matter. He told me I could go home if I wanted; he needed to talk to the teachers about my "situation."

I decided to opt out of going back to the bleak emptiness of my apartment, and instead made my way to the bleachers around the track. The team had practice today, so I figured I could tell Zelda what had happened.

I mean, if she wanted to know. Maybe she didn't. Maybe she didn't want to talk to me. Why would she?

Ugh, no, don't think like that; of course she'll talk to me. It's not like she would just ignore me for no reason.

I fidgeted a bit until the last bell rang and the students flooded out of the school, the teams making their way to the appropriate fields. Sure enough, a little while after classes released the track team was down there, stretching and warming up.

Zelda bounced around the track, one of the faster girls, but not the fastest, which I appreciated for whatever reason. I guess I never really liked perfection, being imperfect myself. I snorted in dismissal at the thought. Jeez, look at me, a poet. I waited for track practice to finish so I could go talk to Zelda. I don't know what I was expecting to say exactly, but I figured something would come to me when it was time.

She made her way off the track and I caught her halfway between the practice field and parking lot. "Hey Zelda," I greeted as casually as possible for having just chased her across the campus.

"What do you want?" Brr. Someone cranked up the a/c.

"Uh, nothing, just thought I'd say hi," I answered a little less confidently. "What's got your panties in a knot?"

She stopped. I don't mean like stopped walking; I mean she just stopped walking and then stood perfectly still. Totally stopped.

"Zelda?" I asked uncertainly.

"Look," she said in a way too calm voice, turning a forced smile on me. "If you're not serious, then don't play with me."

"What in the world are you talking about?" I asked crossly. What crawled in her soup and died?

"I saw you with Malon earlier," she said in the still too calm voice. "If you're more interested in her then go for it, but if you're trying to get in both of our good graces, then I'll have you know I have more dignity than that!"

Whoa, outburst much? "Look," I said in a pacifying voice. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just helping her pick up papers; I ran into her. What did you want me to do? Ignore her and not help?"

"Yes!" she snapped, surprising me, and by the looks of it, surprising herself as well. "Look just forget it and leave me alone," she huffed, stomping off.

What had gotten into her? It's not like she saw me making out with the Malon chick, and why should she care anyways? Ugh, I'll never understand women. With a sigh I hitched up my bag and started walking towards my apartment.

I put Zelda out of my mind for the time being. I needed to find a new job quickly, and I should probably go to the library or something and start studying. Although I just wanted to stay in school to have better access to Zelda, I still made a promise and I keep my promises. Even if they are promises to assholes who don't really deserve it.

I trooped up the stairs leading to my door as I thought about what this meant: I would have to take a semester of gym. With that coach whose arm I broke. Damn it. With Zelda mad at me on top of that, this plan suddenly seemed a lot less appealing. The principal did give me an easy out though: if I couldn't handle it I could just drop, no questions asked. Not that I wanted an easy out. I was a lot tougher than that, and whatever was wrong with Zelda I could deal with in the meantime.

Just as I reached out to open the door, I suddenly felt like something was wrong. I retracted my hand and noticed the state of the cheap lock on the door. Someone had tampered with it. I glanced around looking for any sign of whether or not someone might still be in there, but it was hard to tell. It would probably be smart to go back downstairs and call the police, but then they might get curious as to where my mom and dad are.

So the police were out. Maybe I could go see if the landlord was in his office, but he would probably just call the cops. With a sigh I pushed the door open. Guess I'd be going in alone.

The small room was trashed. How they managed to trash it with so little to throw around was beyond me, but they banged everything up pretty good. "Well, hell," I muttered, kicking an empty can of tuna.

A shadow shifted to my right and I tried the jump back, but tripped over something and went down. My skull cracked against the hard floor and stars burst across my vision. I blinked rapidly, trying to regain my sight, but not before a vaguely familiar voice started snickering.

"Well, well, look what we have here," he said with satisfaction. "My old pal."

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, head pounding. "Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my voice unaffected by the throbbing sensation echoing between my ears.

"You don't remember?" he asked in a mocking voice. "Aw, I'm hurt. You guys hear that? He doesn't remember me."

_Oh shit, _I thought to myself as more shadows detached themselves. He brought friends. My chances of getting out with nothing more than a headache dramatically dropped.

"Let's help him remember," one growled, holding something that shined in the little light that filtered in from outside.

"Let's," the leader agreed, hopping forward and driving his foot into my side like it was the kickoff for the beating I was about to endure. I could've stood up and taken out one or two, maybe, but they had the advantage over me. It made sense now that they had trashed the place. Aside from the satisfaction of messing my stuff up, they took away any advantage I had of knowing the territory.

The other one drove what felt like a lead pipe into my ribs, earning himself a nice crack in return. Another couple of people approached me and I did the only thing I could do. I curled into a ball and waited for it to be over.

* * *

><p>I was sitting at a stereotypical table, in a stereotypical kitchen. I had waffles on the plate before me, drenched in syrup, and a glass of milk to the right. My mother hummed softly as she washed up the cooking utensils, and everything seemed so… normal.<p>

Then he walked in, loud and angry. I had hoped, maybe stupidly, that he wouldn't drink today. It was mother's day. Shouldn't we treat her nicely for just one day of her miserable life? It wasn't her fault she was locked in a marriage she could never escape. Even if she ran away, she had explained to me when I asked her, she would still hear him in her nightmares. Still see his dirty, leering face. Still feel his perverse, angry hands. Still smell the stench of alcohol and cigarettes mixed in his breath.

She didn't tell me that in so many words, but she didn't have to. I knew just as well as her just exactly what he was like when he was like this. When he was the monster, not the dad.

"What're you feeding this shrimp for?" he hiccupped, stumbling in with all the grace of a tranquilized elephant. "Fix my food first, bitch."

I started to stand up uncertainly, the stink of my own fear choking me.

"Please, it's too early for this," my mother pleaded. "Look, you can have his. I can make more."

He spat in my direction. "I don't want any crap that he's touched with his filthy hands."

"I can make you a fresh plate then," she pleaded, the fear stench coming from her too now. She tried to be strong, but her will crumbled quicker and quicker these days.

"I don't want a fresh plate!" he shouted. "I want to be fed before this fucking waste of space!" His glare turned towards me.

He approached me faster than either my mother or I could have expected, and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, hoisting me up off my feet. I choked weakly, trying to keep the shirt from cutting off my air.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he growled at me. I struggled, kicking out feebly. "Gods I hate your face. Your stupid, dirty face. It just pisses me off!" He threw me across the room, and my small body cracked against the wall.

My mother rushed over and put a restraining hand on him. I wish she hadn't. I could have taken anything, if she had just stayed back.

He turned on her and slapped her, hard, across the face. She collapsed with a whimper. "Don't touch me you fucking whore!"

He drove a harsh foot into her side, and again and again and again, until she stopped moving.

"Mommy!" I cried, trying to crawl over to her limp body. "Mommy!

He turned and his anger was re-directed back at me. "Don't touch her!" he growled. He marched over to me and lifted me up again, turning around and jabbing a meaty finger towards my mother. "Look what you did!" he barked. "Look what you did!"

Tears started to well up in my eyes. "Mommy?" I whimpered, the strength to struggle ebbing away.

"You killed her!" he screamed, face red. "You little shit, you killed her!"

He tossed me down in disgust and left. I don't know where he went, but I didn't care either. I crawled over to my mommy, and I snuggled up against her fading body heat, whimpering softly.

It was mother's day.

_It was_ _fucking mother's day._

* * *

><p>I regained consciousness a while later, not really sure when I had lost it in the first place. I groaned and stretched my limbs out slowly, doing a damage check. They had left the apartment, leaving the door open and the place trashed, but at least they had left.<p>

My whole body felt like it was on fire. I winced as I hobbled towards the door; I had to get some help.

The school was a little closer, but it was dark out and I doubted any one would be there. My neighbors wouldn't help and the landlord would just be afraid of a lawsuit. I could make my way to my latest place of employment, but the chances of him helping were zero to none. I groaned in frustration more than pain. This was really the only downside to having no one reliable around.

I did have Zelda though. But no, she was pissed off at me earlier. Even if I came to her all busted up like this, she probably wouldn't help. Although, all other options considered, I would have to make the trek and hope for the best.

You never realize how far away a place is until you have to walk there bleeding and with a broken leg. Well, it probably wasn't snapped in half or anything if I could still limp on it, but it still hurt like hell. Her place realistically wasn't that far from mine; I guess we had just been walking slowly the other day.

I managed to reach the door, ring the doorbell, and knock once before collapsing. Panting hard I waited for someone to answer the door, face resting on the cool stone of the porch. I didn't even think about it, but what if no one was home? Maybe they were sleeping; it was pretty late I think. This kind of neighborhood didn't strike me as one filled with people up and about late at night.

After a few long, antagonizing minutes, the door creaked open.

"Link?" a shocked voice whispered. Why was she whispering? "What happened to you? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," I mumbled, trying to push myself up. "Couldn't think of anywhere else."

I glanced up to see her gnawing on her bottom lip uncertainly. "Okay, my parents are sleeping, so you need to be really quiet," she decided after a moment.

I nodded, wincing a bit at the action. She helped me back onto my feet and we cautiously made our way up the stairs. The house was as fancy inside as it was out, with nice plush carpeting and big open spaces. It was hard to see all of the details in the dark, but I could tell it was a classy place. It just had that "I'm important and high class" ambience about it.

We entered a room and she dropped me off on a comfy bed, which I was thankful for. "I'll be right back, wait here," she whispered, clearly worried, although I wasn't sure if it was about me or about waking up her parents.

"Not goin' anywhere," I mumbled, feeling my eyes droop. I think I heard her choke out a small, breathless laugh before she left the room.

I tried to stay awake, I really did, but the combination of the unusually comfortable bed and pure exhaustion finally did me in.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

When I woke up the next morning, I was still in the same bed I had passed out on, but I had a distinct lack of clothes. "What the hell?" I muttered, stretching slowly and hearing joints pop in response. The door creaked open and I froze.

"Oh thank the gods you're awake," Zelda sighed in relief. "I can't believe you just passed out like that!"

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry, getting jumped really takes it out of me."

Instead of getting the laugh I had hoped for, worry clouded her eyes. "What happened?"

"I think it was the same guy from the alley," I answered, standing up and testing my leg. Still hurting, not broken though.

"Oh no," she whispered, looking at me with a pained expression. "I'm so sorry."

I shrugged. "It's okay, I figured it might come back and bite me in the ass."

"Yes, but," she frowned, eyes downcast. "I just feel so bad, you took a beating for me yesterday after I acted so cold towards you."

I chuckled and shrugged again. "It's okay, really. I mean I don't know _why_ you were acting like that but…"

She blushed a bit and looked off to the side. "I-I was just, uh," she stuttered a bit, but before she could explain a voice drifted up from downstairs.

"Zelda, hurry up!"

She jumped, looking even more worried, but called back, "Coming!" Turning her attention back to me she sighed. "Can you wait here; we're going out for lunch."

"I don't want to be a burden," I answered quickly. "I can head back home after your and your folks take off."

She looked a bit uncertain and maybe even a little disappointed, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay, your clothes are in the bag there," she said, point to said bag resting on the side table. "And my number's in there as well."

I quirked an eyebrow at her, which in turn, caused her to blush even more. "What's the number for?" I asked wearily, but still smirking.

"I just want to make sure you get home safely," she answered, looking down at her feet again. "And if anything happens again, you can call me there instead of dragging yourself half-dead to my front door."

Oh boy, she was a worrier. Instead of commenting on that I simply answered, "Okay, thank you. And sorry again for the trouble."

"It was the least I could do," she replied earnestly.

The voice sounded from downstairs again. "We have to _go_, Zelda!"

"I'm coming down now," she called back. "Okay, I have to go. Be safe."

I found myself giving her a legitimate smile as I answered, "I will."

After she hustled out the door and I heard the car take off I realized what good faith she had in me. To leave me, a known good-for-nothing troublemaker, in her house unsupervised. Only after this thought passed through my mind did I think to blush about being half-naked.

Why'd she take my clothes off? That was a little weird, not that I was complaining exactly, but still, it would be awkward later.

Shaking off the thought for now I walked over to the bag she pointed out to me and picked up the fresh smelling bundle. I pawed around inside the bag, pulling out my pants and shaking them out, which cause a little piece of paper to fall out of them. I bent over, picked it up, and flipped it over. Sure enough, in neat little handwriting, her number stretched across the little piece of scrap paper.

I felt my heart thud weird in my chest, and wondered if those idiots from yesterday had managed to kick me in the chest. Last thing I needed was an irregular heartbeat.

Nothing to do about it now though. I trooped downstairs after securing the rest of my clothing, and couldn't help but check the place out a bit before I headed off. By the sounds of it they wouldn't be home any time soon, so I had plenty of time to spare.

The house, overall, looked as epic as it felt. Not in the way video game nerds described a piece of loot, but more like the actually meaning of the word. The place was… majestic, big, large and in charge. The roofs were high, and the polished wooden floors were so slick you could just…

_No, don't do that, you know you'll regret it,_ a little voice in my head warned as I looked between the shiny wooden floors and my socks. Ah, what the hell? When would I ever be in a house like this unsupervised again? I took off at a run and slid across the floor, howling all the while. Don't knock it 'till you try it that's for sure.

Then I accidentally slid into a nice, _expensive_-looking table of some sort. I tripped over it, knocking pictures to the floor and snapping a leg on the stupid, flimsy thing.

"Crap, crap, crap," I muttered, scrambling to pick all of the fallen pieces of precious memories up. How would I fix the table before they got back though? Something told me super glue wouldn't work, but I had slid through a room earlier filled with thick books. Scrambling back to that room I picked up the nearest, sturdiest-looking book and rushed back to the damaged table.

It leaned pathetically to one side, but it was level enough that the picture frames wouldn't slide off. I backed away cautiously, thinking it might collapse suddenly on me. Breathing a sigh of relief as it sat there unmoving, I turned around to leave, but not before crunching down unceremoniously on a picture I had somehow missed.

"Damn it!" I yelled, the house echoing back mockingly. "Shut up," I muttered. I picked up the picture, mindful of the glass and walked back to the table. Sighing, I dumped the glass out on the table, and against all reason I flipped the frame back over and looked at the picture.

My heart stopped, I know it did. My blood ran cold, but only for a moment. In the next second blood started rushing rapidly and my heart took off like a jackhammer.

"Oh gods no," I muttered, dropping the picture back in the table, not bothering to set it up right. I backed away slowly, mouth agape like the devil stood before me.

And he did, but luckily only in picture form.

The world rushed by in a blur as I rushed to my shoes, struggling to slip them on and flee the house as quickly as possible. Giving up on my shaking hands, I just grabbed the shoes and burst out of the house, hitting the pavement at a run.

_I did not see his face, I did not see his face in that photo, _I reprimanded myself silently. Of all the places, all the houses on that block, he wouldn't be in the one that matter. He _couldn't_ return to ruin my life like this. What were the chances? Zero to none?

Before I knew it I had arrived back in my apartment. Ignoring the mess I made a beeline for the tiny closet in my tiny bedroom, slamming the door shut, and curling into a tight ball, much like the one I found myself in yesterday to protect myself from the beating I received.

I clutched a phone in my hand I didn't remember grabbing and waited, eyes wide with raw fear. My lungs wouldn't work right; I couldn't breathe.

_Oh gods, please make it end._

* * *

><p>When I opened my eyes I thought I had died, because of the darkness all around me, cutting me off. I stumbled into a standing position and crashed through the door, effectively busting it off the hinges. I looked around frantically for a moment before I realized where I was. Not heaven and not quite hell, just this apartment of mine.<p>

I took a deep breath and winced as I realized my legs had fallen asleep in the closet. Crashing on the bed I stared up at the ceiling.

I am the toughest guy in school. I've fought off gangs and bullies for years. I've stood up to teachers, but I've stayed pretty much in my bounds. Even as a delinquent I have my reasons and I have my balance. I see that bastard's face once after years and look at me. What the hell did he reduce me to? Hiding in the closet like a little kid again.

I jolted straight up in bed, realizing what this meant. Last night I had spent the night at Zelda's house, and he had been sleeping in that very same house. He could've been no further than a room away, and I slept there totally defenseless and Zelda—oh gods Zelda.

Desperately I started throwing trash aside looking for the phone. I remembered having it when I was in the closet, but where the hell did it go? There it is—but wait! Where the hell's the stupid number? I started patting different pockets looking for the stupid piece of paper. My luck I lost it running back here.

_Ah! Found it_, I thought thankfully, fumbling with the phone as I dialed the numbers. My hand was a little steadier, but it was still trembling a bit. _That bastard, look at what he does to you still!_

The phone rang several times, and I thought briefly that I should have checked the time before calling. I didn't even know if this was her home phone or cell phone. Did she even have a cell phone? I mean most kids who can mooch off their parents have one, but that didn't mean—.

"Hello?" a female voice asked, cutting off my maniac worries.

"Uh, hi, is Zelda there?" I asked uncertainly, wondering how my voice sounded.

Normal enough, I guess, because after a moment she answered, "She's coming. What did you say your name was again?"

Just as I was about to answer I heard shouting in the background, and a moment later Zelda's familiar, albeit slightly irritated, voice came over the line. "Hey Link, what's up?"

"Is it a bad time?" I asked, not wanting to deal with formalities at the moment.

"Hold on a minute," she answered, and I heard the sound of movement and a door close. Then, "Okay, what's wrong?"

"You have to get out of your house now," I warned, barely keeping the panic at bay. If she didn't agree I already decided to walk—no run—over there and drag her out myself.

"Why?" she asked, concern coloring her tone, although I wasn't sure if it was for her own safety or my sanity.

"Please, you have to get out," I pleaded. "I can explain when you get here."

Another long pause of silence, and I glanced around my apartment. Not exactly fit for company, but it would have to do. I could clean up while I waited for her to make her way here. Unless I had to go fetch her in which case I could—.

"My mom's just about to head to bed," she answered at last. "I can come over after I know she's asleep."

"Okay, okay," I agreed, figuring it was the best I could get. "But where's your d-dad?"

"He's asleep already," she responded, more sounds of movement filtering through the line.

"Thank gods," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. It would be a long wait. "Can I meet you halfway?"

"If you'd like; I don't know where your apartment is anyways," she said, and I mentally slapped myself. Of course she wouldn't just know where I lived; my brain was still fried, maybe I had a concussion.

"Oh right, sorry," I whispered, trying to stay calm.

"It's fine, but Link what's this all about?" she asked again, more worriedly than before.

"I'll tell you when you get here," I answered, sitting up. "When do you think you'll head out?"

"Another thirty minutes, maybe an hour," she whispered. Her mom had probably just gone to bed.

"Okay, I'll meet you at that burger joint I was working at." I stood up and started kicking trash into different piles.

"Okay, I'll see you soon," she whispered, but this time the tone was different. It didn't sound like she was whispering to keep a low profile. It almost sounded like she actually cared.

"See you," I muttered, hanging up the phone.

Cleaning up the place would give me something to do until it was time to leave. I took a step towards the bedroom door, but a stabbing sensation shot through my foot. I stumbled back onto the bed, and lifted the foot up. Earlier it was numb from being cooped up in the closet, but now I felt the pain of the glass splintered in my foot.

From that photo.

The photo of a woman and Zelda.

And a man.

A man I recognized, with a face I dreaded.

A man I used to call "father."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_I don't usually like to say 'hey review,' but I would like some feedback, especially for this chapter. Thanks for taking the time!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

Barely twenty minutes later I finished cleaning and decided I might as well head out. No sense staying here and whipping myself into a frenzy. I kept trying to think logically, but it was hard to do.

I took a deep, ragged breath. "Just focus on Zelda," I muttered to myself, kicking a pebble. "Get to Zelda first, you can figure the rest out after."

Talking to myself probably wasn't a good sign. I looked around the abandoned street, and wondered, not for the first time that night, if he had changed.

_Don't be stupid._

A man like him doesn't change overnight or even over years. A chill ran down my spine as I considered this, but then how had Zelda managed? How long had she been living with him?

Footsteps echoed on the vacant pavement, and my head snapped up, heart pounding. A shadowy figure approached slowly. I shook my head, and walked towards whoever it was. I'm no coward. He won't make me afraid of some stupid clichéd shadowy figure. I mean really, what the hell?

"Hey," I called out, stepping cautiously. My luck it would be some crackhead looking for cash.

"Link?" she asked, stepping under a streetlight.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Zelda." I jogged the rest of the way to her, and to both of our surprise, wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

I felt her squirm uncertainly. "Uh, I'm flattered and all, but what's this about? You seemed really worried on the phone."

I released her and took a step back. "Well I—," I started to explain, but then had a last minute second thought. How did I go about explaining what had happened? I mean she might be mad at me for breaking the table, but I'm sure she's realized that I did it by now and would have already said something. The real question was how was she going to take the news? I wasn't even a hundred percent sure if it was him; it could be someone else completely, and then what? I get worked up over nothing and what does she think of me after that?

"Link?" she prompted worriedly. "What's this all about?"

I swallowed uncertainly. I wasn't thinking straight, and I had to do something now. She would think even less of me if I called her out here in the middle of the night for nothing, but I needed more time to come up with a way to explain. "Uh, let's go back to my place," I responded at last. "It might take a while to explain."

She looked at me uncertainly and chewed her bottom lip a bit.

"I won't try anything funny," I promised, ears turning red.

She looked at me in surprise. "Oh no, it's not that I was just…" she trailed off, but didn't really need to say anymore as her own face lit up. "Let's go."

The walk back was fairly uneventful if not awkward. I was busy trying to figure out how to approach the situation, and she…

"What are you thinking about?" I asked suddenly, breaking the awkward silence.

For a while she didn't say anything, and I thought she might not respond at all. We continued walking in silence for a while before she finally answered, "It's nothing. I'm just worried. I mean you're not usually _this _weird, you know?"

I had to chuckle a bit at that, despite the tension. "Weird on a whole new level, yeah, that sounds about right."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she clarified.

I shook my head, although I don't think she was looking in my direction. Hell, I knew I couldn't look at her. "No, I know what you mean. Sorry again about all of this."

"So long as you have a good reason," she answered easily. My heart throbbed in my chest. Certain aspects of her brought out a weird feeling inside of me, like this: her ability to stay calm. Hopefully, when I put it to the test, it would prove a strong trait.

I stomped up the stairs to my apartment self-consciously. This really wasn't the time to be wondering what she thinks of my place—we had bigger problems—but that didn't stop me from wondering anyways. I shook my head; I had to stay cool. Not to mention I still had a rep to keep up, and I'm far from some easily embarrassed punk.

I popped the door open and made my way to the coach, plopping down without once looking back at Zelda. She followed suit, if not a bit hesitantly.

Sitting in a chair across from me she asked, "Is this really where you live?"

I glanced around the run-down excuse for a home and nodded. "Yeah, have for a while."

Blinking uncertainly, she shifted in her seat, still observing her surroundings. I cleared my throat and she flinched. "Sorry, it's nice," she said easily.

Chuckling a bit I shook my head. "I know it's no where near as nice as your place, but I make do."

"Right. Of course," she answered a little too quickly. "So why'd you call me all the way out here again?"

Sitting up straight I frowned down at the floor. I had to protect her from him. "Zelda, the thing is…"

But was it him?

"Yes?"

What if it wasn't?

"I was just wondering if, uh…"

But I needed an excuse to protect her.

"If?"

Be around her.

"If you'll go out with me," I finished quickly.

For a moment there was an absolute, perfect silence. I watched as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Then she closed it again, slowly, and finally said, "What?"

"Will you go out with me? I mean you know, dates and stuff, boyfriend, girlfriend," I answered gesturing. This was my solution. The perfect solution. This way I had a reason to be close to her, and if I played all of my cards right, I would even have the excuse to meet her parents. Then I could know for sure if the man in the photo was really my father.

If it was, I would get her the hell away from him.

And if it wasn't, then, well I hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

It would come to me, so no need to sweat it.

Finally Zelda managed to make a coherent sentence. "You called me this late at night, to invite me here, and ask me to go out with you?"

I cleared my throat. Okay, this entire situation was a little abnormal. Hell's bells she was going to start thinking I had some kind of psychosis. "Yes," I deadpanned. "I couldn't wait."

She laughed nervously. "So you just suddenly had the urge to go out with me or what?"

Okay, time to start pulling out the lies. Well, more. "I know it was kind of sudden, and I'm sorry about it being so late," I apologized, warming her up. "But I was just sitting around here thinking, and I realized how I feel about you."

A light blush spread over her cheeks. "Is this for real?"

I nodded. "Totally."

"I-I don't know," she muttered nervously. "It really is kind of sudden."

"It's not like I'm asking you to marry me," I said, forcing a smile. "Just give it a try, what do you have to lose?"

Sighing, she nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah like yeah?" I asked to be clear.

"Yeah like yeah," she answered, smiling now, a real, legitimate smile. My heart picked up speed again, but I ignored it. I had my ticket in, now I just needed to reach the station before it took off.

"Uh, so," I said awkwardly. "Do you want me to walk you home or would you rather stay here?"

She blushed and stood up uncertainly. "I should probably go home, I mean my parents are going to wonder where I'm at in the morning," she stammered out, not heading towards the door, but leaning towards it.

"You could just call them in the morning and tell them you left early to go hang out," I suggested.

"You want me to lie to my parents?" she asked incredulously.

"Or you could tell them you snuck out of the house to meet a boy in the dead of night," I countered, grinning. Time to put on a good show.

"Do you want me to stay over?" she asked quietly.

I stood up and started walking towards my bedroom. "Yeah, I do."

"Uh, Link, I don't know—," she started, but I cut her off quickly, blushing at where her thoughts were headed.

"Not stay _with _me, just over for tonight," I explained. "I may be a punk, but I'm not a total bastard."

"Oh right, of course," she said, head turned away. "So where can I sleep?"

I nearly tripped. I kind of forgot about that. "Uh, you can have my bed; I'll crash on the couch." I glanced in the room, thankful I had cleaned it earlier.

"Okay," she mumbled, walking over to me. She paused a step away and looked up at me, not pathetically, but hopefully.

Oh crap! She wanted me to kiss her. The blood started rushing to my head as my heart picked up speed. Calm down, calm down, _holy shit calm down_!

"Link," she whispered, and suddenly everything stopped. My heart stopped pounding, time stopped, and I stopped thinking. I leaned towards her and gently pressed my lips against hers.

"Good night," I whispered, breaking away and moving towards the couch. I didn't turn around until I heard the door click shut.

I could stay close to her and protect her for a while, but I needed to find out who the man in the picture was. No need to worry about it for tonight though, because Zelda was safe in my room, and I could rest easy knowing that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_This turned out a little shorter and little more of a transition than I had originally planned, but now I have a better plot scope. Many tricks still left up my sleeve, look forward to it!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

Planning ahead never was one of my strong suits. If I had planned ahead, then maybe I would be a happy, clueless teenager with the rest of them. Not to say I wasn't happy or content; I'm not so overly dramatic to bemoan my situation. I managed and I got by and that was fine by me. Maybe someone else would frown and pity me, but from where I sat my life was just fine.

When it came to planning your life, there were always corners to cut. When it came to waking up the next morning and facing your new girlfriend, well you're just shit out of luck.

I woke up groaning and rolled over to find myself on a short trip to a hard floor. Wincing I lifted myself off the floor and shook my entire body, popping out some kinks. Couches, good for napping, bad for long-term sleep. I inhaled deeply and let out a slow sigh. Whether or not I was good at it, I had to start planning. How—wait a minute.

I sniffed the air, then inhaled deeply. _What the hell_?

Standing up I stretched and inhaled again. If I didn't know better that smelled like food. Non-instant-actually-cooked food. Curiously I made my way to the kitchen, confused by the strange if not pleasant aroma. Lo and behold, there was Zelda shuffling dishes and ingredients around, looking like a regular chef.

"What in the world are you doing?" I asked dumbfounded.

The sudden sound of my voice made her jump, which in turn meant two eggs lost to the grimy floor. "Oh, Link, good morning!"

"Are you cooking?"

She blinked once then laughed. "Yeah, of course I am. Haven't you ever seen someone cook before?"

I scratched my head and shrugged. "Not in a while, no."

She turned back to her cooking, flipping something here, stirring something there, and asked, "Don't you cook?"

"No," I answered, making my way to a chair in the corner of the tiny kitchen. Plopping down I continued, "Usually I just buy a couple of burgers or heat up some instant noodles."

She spared a moment to glance over her shoulder and give me a disapproving look. "It's no wonder you're all skin and bones."

"Har-dee-har," I responded, rolling my eyes. "Where'd you get all that stuff anyways?"

"I bought it."

"How early did you get up?" I asked in surprise. It was a Saturday for crying out loud.

"A little after sunrise I guess," she answered nonchalantly. "When I woke up and started looking for something to eat though, I found nothing except for a dead mouse in your cabinet. Which is, like, really gross, by the way."

"What are you, my mother?" I muttered crossly. She laughed at that and brought over a plate.

"Here, your mother wants you to eat something."

I felt a prick at the corners of my eyes, and my throat constricted. She was worried about me, she was probably the only one who had ever cared. I hated breakfast though, because of that day that changed everything. I hadn't eaten breakfast since that day. No time, no stomach for it. Now Zelda had set this plate before me, and I couldn't just let it go to waste. The gesture was kind, and she had no way of knowing. If I declined breakfast now, she would know there was something wrong.

"Link?"

The sound of her voice broke me out of my trance, and I dug into the eggs before I could have a second thought. "Mm, yeah, this is good," I complimented through a mouthful of food.

"You eat like a starved man," she commented, laughing and sitting down in a chair across from me with her own plate.

"Just haven't eaten in a while," I muttered, finishing off the plate quickly.

"You practically inhaled it," she said, laughing.

I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. "So do you want me to walk you home after breakfast?"

"I should probably help you clean up first," she muttered, looking towards the pile of used dishes.

"No, it's fine," I reassured. "You made it, I can clean it up."

She nodded. "Alright then."

After she finished eating we made our way back to her house, and this time I walked her up to the door. For a moment I was hoping I could catch a glimpse of her father and put my fears to rest right away, but no such luck. The driveway was empty of cars, so her parents must have been out running errands or something. Or maybe they were still sleeping, and the cars were just in the garage. Either way, no luck this time.

"Well, uh, thanks for inviting me over," she said uncertainly. "It really was pretty sudden, though."

She gave me this nearly indescribable look, but something in the depths of her eyes told me something I needed to ignore.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," I muttered.

"Don't be," she sighed. "I'm really glad you did. I lo—." A noise from inside cut her off, it sounded like footsteps pounding down the stairs. Looking a little panicked, she quickly waved to me, whispered a good bye, and closed the door quietly.

I retreated down the steps of the too-neat porch and started walking towards the market area of town. I needed something to distract myself, and it seemed like the best way to do that right now was by finding a new job. Jeez, I was some kind of erratic nutcase.

Running my fingers through my hair I wandered down a street lined with shops, looking for something promising. No more burger joints, maybe nothing food related period. Maybe I should…

I paused in front of a store front for no real reason and stared at my reflection in the glass pane. Dirty blonde hair, all messy, getting long. Grungy clothes, I-don't-give-a-damn scowl.

_What would your mother think?_

I could just hear his voice now if he saw me like this.

_Look at you, you bastard. A dirty mess. A waste of life, just like I said._

He would mock me endlessly, he would embarrass me.

_Your mother was right to run away._

She didn't run away. You—!

"Fuck!" I screamed, punching the glass unthinkingly. The pane buckled and shattered under the first, sending glass flying. Screams from the store patrons could be heard, and cars behind me slammed on their breaks to slow down enough to get a better look. A couple of the employees ran outside, shouting obscenities.

I looked at the glass, then at my hand, not quite connecting the gaping maw of one with the blood dribbling down the other.

"Hey, Kid, you have to pay for this you know!" one of the employees told me angrily.

"Yeah there's no way this is coming out of our paychecks," the other agreed. I turned to look at them, but their faces didn't really register in my mind. One of them took a step towards me.

"Hey are you okay? You don't look so well?" he asked, now sounding concerned.

_Couldn't have me dying on your property now could you? Well screw you._

I turned around and took off running down the street, back towards my apartment. I didn't stop until I had slammed the door shut, and slid down onto the floor, chin resting on my knees.

My heart thumped once, twice, three times… I felt myself inhale and exhale. I'm still here. I'm still alive.

I stood up after my heart rate returned to normal, and glanced over at the mess in the kitchen. At least I had something to do for now.

* * *

><p>School rolled around on Monday, and I had to seriously debate whether or not I wanted to go. In the end I didn't really have much of a choice. The principal would boot me out for good if I missed a single class, and Zelda would notice if I weren't around.<p>

Trudging to school in the rain, yeah, that's fun. I really needed a stupid bike. Then, of all people to run into, I found Malon walking alongside me about halfway to school

"Oh, hey Link was it?" she asked a little too chipper for a Monday morning.

"Yeah," I grunted.

"I didn't know you actually attended school on a daily basis," she giggled.

I glanced over at her, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Your reputation precedes you," she answered. "I talked to some of my friends about you, and supposedly you're the biggest delinquent this school has ever had."

"If I feed you some gossip would you leave me alone?" I asked bitterly. Soaking wet, cold, and going to school put me in a rotten mood. What a shock.

She looked a bit hurt, but went along with it anyways. "Is it true you're going out with Zelda?"

This caused me to nearly trip over the sidewalk. "What?" I demanded, stopping dead in my tracks.

"Just something I heard," she giggled. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"What do you mean?" I asked wearily.

It was her turn to look surprised. "Don't you know there's a dance coming up?"


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

After Malon's revelation the day passed in a blur until I found myself sitting in the bleachers surrounding the track and field once more. The little figures dashed back and forth, oblivious of me, which made me feel like some creepy stalker. After thinking about it for most of the day I had decided on two things: I would ask Zelda about this dance thing, and I would return to that store.

Yeah, I was basically broke and without a penny to my name, but I couldn't just bust up a place like that and not take responsibility. Well, not unless they deserved it, which in this case, they didn't, so that meant I had to take whatever happened like a man.

The sun seemed to shine brighter today, and with everything that had happened recently, it made everything seem surreal. I stretched out a hand towards it and yawned. It felt nice at least, and it meant summer was fast approaching. I reclined back, prepared to take a little nap there in the bleachers while I waited for Zelda.

Such a nice day…

I must have dozed off for a while, because the sound of footsteps fast approaching jarred me. It was that feeling of falling when you weren't actually falling. Man, I hated that feeling. I opened my eyes slowly, expecting to see Zelda, but instead two guys stood before me, grinning.

"What the hell do you losers want?" I grumbled.

"Aw is that anyway to greet an old pal?" the dark skinned one asked. He looked too gothic for his own good, wearing all black like that. Freak.

"Hey Dark, maybe he's just too busy to talk to us," the big, burly fellow suggested. Tanned, stereotypical football player type of jock. Also a freak.

"Ah but Darunia what could he possibly be busy with?" Dark wondered in an exaggerated manner. With an overly considering gesture he turned towards the track, tapping his chin. "Hmm, mayhap…"

"You don't mean…?" his big friend gasped in false surprise.

"Shut up," I mumbled again, leaning back once more and hoping that they'd take the hint and beat it.

"I think our little Link here has a crush." Nope. No such luck for me, of course not.

I jumped up and grabbed a fistful of Dark's shirt before he had the chance to flinch. "I think I told you to shut up," I growled. Darunia didn't make a move, just stood back watching. Dark, meanwhile, gave me a toothy grin.

"Pretty defensive, aren't you?"

I tossed him down the bleachers. Fairly easy since the incline was so sharp and we were near the top row. He didn't topple all the way to the bottom and managed to right himself after only a few rows. I expected either Darunia or him to retaliate in some way, but neither one moved a muscle after Dark stopped his descent.

"You want some too?" I demanded, glaring at the big jock still near me. He rolled his eyes and walked off, meeting up with Dark a few rows down and punching him in the shoulder.

I let out a sigh and plopped back down. At least Zelda hadn't—.

"Link?" Of course.

"Uh, hey," I answered weakly.

"Who were they?" she asked right away, no beating around the bush.

"Friends," I muttered sarcastically, but she missed it or chose to ignore it.

"So why'd you throw your friend down the bleachers?" she asked, crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side.

"Because I hate his guts," I answered. "His and his entire family's."

"You know Dark's family?" she asked, surprised.

"You know Dark?" I asked, even more surprised.

"Everyone knows Dark," she countered. "But no one knows his family."

"Guess I'm a lucky exception then," I answered, standing up and brushing off my jeans. "So to change the subject, do you know anything about a dance coming up?"

Frowning at that, she responded, sounding surprised that I would ask something so obvious, "Yeah, of course. It's the spring dance we have every year."

"Uh."

"Oh right, you don't usually stick around long enough to find out, hu?" she asked, smirking at me.

I shrugged and grinned. "Na. Not usually."

We both laughed and headed off campus, splitting up after a few blocks. I assumed she was headed home, but I had to go back to that shop. I wasn't exactly looking forward to pulling a debt onto my shoulders, but I would deal with it. Walking down the street looking for the shop, my mind wandered back to Dark and Darunia.

We used to hang out back when we were freshmen, but then towards the end of the year we—as the parents would say—went our separate ways. Dark and Darunia got into hard drugs and steroids while I, on the other hand, got a job. They actually got into the drugs before I had my job, so I sold with them for a while. The money was pretty good, but it's like the old saying goes: all good things must come to an end.

Dark started using the stuff he was supposed to be selling, and I think it goes without saying that Darunia was still on board for this phase. Don't get me wrong, I've done some light stuff (what honest kid hasn't?), but I was no idiot.

I swore a long time ago I would never become my father. That worthless slime ball was a lot of things, and he didn't teach me much of anything, but he was an addict, and I did learn not to follow in dear old dad's footsteps. Not only because he grew into a worthless mental case, but there were other things too…

I felt a chill run down my spine and shook my head, snapping out of my trance. I looked up at the nearest store only to find I had arrived. Whoopee.

The sign above the shop read Tarot Café, and the window I had punched out was still missing. No big surprise, since it was a huge glass pane and probably had to be special ordered. I tried to remember if there had been writing on the glass, since that would probably cost extra, but nothing came to mind. The sign on the door had the times the shop was opened, as well as an odd symbol carved into the door. Maybe a coat of arms or something.

I entered the café, not exactly sure what to expect. To my surprise, it was… really normal looking. It was a one-room shop, with dim lighting and slow jazz playing in the background, giving the place an eerie ambience. There were six round tables taking up most of the space, with a bar on the opposite wall from the entrance. The bar stretched from the right end all the way across the room to an opening on the left end, where enough space had been left on the wall for a door.

The only people in the room aside from me were a young hipster looking guy tapping on a laptop, and some bum face-planting on the bar. I walked towards the door on the left, figuring it had to be an office. I raised a fist to pound on the door, but as I went to hit it the door flew open.

"I don't need this, all right?" a man yelled back, stomping towards the entrance. "I quit!"

A woman followed him to the door, chucking what looked like a frying pan after the rebellious guy. "Good! Stay out of my shop!" she screamed from the doorway.

She turned around and swiftly made her way back to the office, shoving past me, and slamming the door shut behind her. Whoa. And I thought I had a lousy temper. I more cautiously approached the door, knocking on the wooden surface and hoping the door didn't fly open and nail me. The door swung open, but not with a killing intention, and the woman poked her head out, glaring at me.

"What do you want?" she demanded, clearly devoid of patience.

Normally I didn't just sit back and let people snap at me, but I made an exception this time since she seemed to be having a pretty crappy couple of days, what with me breaking her window yesterday and that guy quitting just now.

"I, uh, accidentally broke your wind—," I started to explain, but she cut me off, grabbing the front of my shirt and shaking me.

"_You're _the punk-ass kid who broke my window?" she yelled, continuing to shake me. It took me a moment to regain my bearings after she started doing that, but after a moment my hands snapped up to grip hers, stopping her from shaking me in the process.

"Look, I know you're pissed lady, but _don't touch me_," I warned, deadly serious. "I came here to apologize and pay you back, not get manhandled by some PMS-ing crackhead."

A beat of silence passed before she released me suddenly, dropping her hands and staring at me impassively. "You came back to repay me?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I didn't break it on purpose," I explained.

"So you're taking responsibility?" she asked snidely, looking down her nose at me.

"Yes I am." I kept eye contact as she stared me down. For a minute I thought she was just going to throw me out and be done with it, but then she did something even more surprising.

"You're hired."

I blinked once uncertainly. "What?"

"You can work here to pay back your debt," she explained, already turning to retreat to her office. "If you don't have any other obligations, of course."

"Just like that?" I asked, surprised by the turn of events.

"Yes, in fact, I'll do you one better. I'll even pay you a small amount while you work for me, at least enough to buy food and pay rent. You won't find a better deal!" she exclaimed, her mood a total one-eighty from a few minutes ago.

"But I—?"

"—Start tomorrow, yes!" she answered, even though it wasn't exactly my question. "Good day!" And with that she slammed the door shut.

What the hell?

* * *

><p>The next twenty-four hours passed almost without event, except well…<p>

"Hey Zelda," I called, jogging to catch up with her in the hallway. It was the first time I'd actually spoken to her in plain sight of our classmates, aside from the time in the burger shop, but that didn't really count. Some kids gave us odd looks as they walked by, but that may have been because of me alone, not the fact that I was talking to her.

"Oh, hello," she said in a kind of breathy way, her face flushing slightly. "What's up?"

"Uh, look, I know things have been kind of weird," I started, then gave up on that approach. She knew all of that already. "Would you like to go out with me this Saturday?"

"Isn't that the day of the dance?" she asked, face flushing more. "I didn't bother picking out a dress or anything."

It was my turn to blush, and I caught some snickers because of it. "No, I don't dance," I explained quickly. Her face fell a bit. "I mean, if you really wanted to we could, but I was talking about going to this café I found."

"Oh," she said, her smile creeping back into place. "Oh yeah, that would be great." She beamed up at me, clutching her books to her chest in this kind of irresistible aren't-I-just-the-cutest-thing-ever pose.

I felt my heart thud in my chest. This was the thing to do, take her on a few dates, go steady, get to the bottom of that photo. I smiled back at her. "Alright, well then it's a date."

"Okay, I'll see you Saturday."

And that was that. Last night had been spent actually attempting to study, but that fell through pretty quickly, so I ended up going for a long walk, after which I fell asleep pretty quickly. The next day class was as boring as ever, and I think I fell asleep for most of calculus (I _think_; I can't really remember it). Eventually the last bell rang, signifying freedom for some, extracurricular for others. Sadly I was part of "others."

I walked back to the café and entered with some trepidation. Normal café maybe, but the boss was a complete wacko. Not much I could do about the situation though, after all this would pay the bills _and _pay back the shop. It all worked out for the best for everyone involved in the end. I made my way to the officer door and knocked uncertainly. Just like yesterday the door flew open, and this time two people came marching out.

"Ah, the new kid," the woman from yesterday announced, grinning and apparently in a better mood. "New kid, what's your name?"

"Link," I answered, eyeing her warily. Definitely off her rocker.

"Okay Link, my name's Pamela," she introduced, not bothering with any other formality, not even a handshake. "And this is your co-worker Aaron." The boy who had trailed out of the office behind her earlier waved meekly. "The bum who ditched us yesterday was Belus, and if you see him, do me a favor and toss his ass out of here!"

"Yes, ma'am," I answered politely. Better to be overly polite until I knew exactly what made her tick. And that might take a while.

"Okay, okay, stop sucking up and get to work," she snorted dismissively. "Aaron will show you the ropes."

With that she retreated to her office once more, leaving me to stare at the boy who was supposed to be teaching me. He was the type of kid I would look at, know I could kick his ass without breaking a sweat, and feel bad for even considering whether I could or not. Scrawny would be the polite term.

"We just make coffee and stuff and then give it to the customers," he explained, shuffling off towards the bar. Well that was educational. I slowly followed him towards the bar, finding an apron and tossing it on in the process.

He plopped down on a stool, and leaned against the bar, looking for all the world like he would kill for a handheld game—literally. He kind of had that dark aura around him, and he would be pretty threatening if he actually looked the part. I sat down a few stools away and gazed at my new domain. Really not much to look at; I might have to bring some entertainment next time.

Boring only began to describe.

I think I dozed off a bit because the sound of a bell jingling jarred me awake, and it took me a moment to remember where I was. I looked over to the door to see the kid from yesterday—the hipster with a laptop—walk in, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyes focused ahead.

He walked right up to me and in a surprisingly gruff voice asked, "Where's your boss?"

"Uh, I could serve you if you—," I started to offer.

"Shut up," he said, cutting me off. "Get your boss." I noticed Aaron flinch out of the corner of my eye. Was this guy always acting up? Best not to get into a fight over it on the first day; I left him waiting at the counter while I went over to the office and knocked on the door.

"Boss, kid here for you," I called. The door swung open and I dodged back, barely avoiding the wrath of oak.

"Who?" she demanded loudly, stomping over to the bar. Apparently it took a while for her to cool off. She studied the kid for a moment before turning back to me. "You can punch out now." I looked at her confused. That was sudden; had that much time passed already? I knew the days were getting longer again, but it was barely dark out.

"All right," I answered, figuring again it was best not to fight it. Going with the flow was always easier than against, after all. I tossed the apron to Aaron, and made my way back home without another word. I had a feeling this job was probably going to take number one for "weirdest jobs ever" for a while.

* * *

><p>It's two in the morning, and the sun won't come up for a long time still. I stir restlessly in my bed. Turning one way then another, I strain to find that "just right" spot that will allow me to drift off, but I can't seem to find it tonight. Maybe a glass of water will help. I walk downstairs; the floorboards creak beneath me. The house sways, stretches and settles.<p>

I rub my eyes feeling exhaustion creep around me, tying a noose around my neck, ready to kill me off. I reach a hand out for the cup setting on the counter-table hybrid and turn to fill it up with water from the tap, but then something just… feels wrong. I freeze, hand halfway to the cup, dangling in open air. I stop breathing.

Then I hear breathing.

A soft sigh, a kind of gentle breeze sound, but I know there are no windows and no open doors. The nights are at a temperature where I leave the air conditioner off, and heating the house is unnecessary. I'm still not breathing. I turn my eyes, only my eyes, towards the couch I had just walked by a moment ago. My heart skips a beat and then picks up speed. Then I breathe, and it's a ragged, desperate noise.

The figure is standing there, looking at me, unmoving, staring me down.

I make a shape with my mouth, trying to call out and demand for him to show himself, but it comes out as a wheeze.

He moves towards me, stepping close enough for me to make out some vague facial features. I wish for light so I can identify him, but it's to no avail. No windows.

I take an involuntary step back as more facial features become recognizable, my eyes adjusting rapidly to the darkness now and adapting to the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

"I'm coming for you," he warns in an emotionless, steel-grinding-gravel voice.

My eyes hurt, my head spins, and blood pounds in my ears, drowning out sound and creating a white noise in its place.

"Father."


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed. It took me a moment to recall what had happened last night, but when I finally did it jarred me awake. Was that a dream? Had it been real? Could it have been?

My throat felt dry as I struggled to remember it exactly. Could I recall the feel of the floor under my feet? What had woken me up or kept me so restless? Probably just school, but in an uneasy state like that I could've easily dozed off without even realizing it.

I cautiously padded out of my room. The living room area looked normal, and if he was still here he wasn't still by the couch, which was a small relief. I glanced into the kitchen area.

No glass of water sitting on the counter, no glass in the sink. Maybe it really was just a freakishly realistic dream?

I let out a sigh and plopped down on the couch.

What was today anyway? Saturday? Okay Saturday, wonder what I should do today, guess I have to work again and—.

"Aw crap," I muttered. The date with Zelda, I had totally forgotten. I didn't even think about getting ready for it, which in retrospect was kind of really stupid.

First thing's first, had to call work. I had a better feel for the place despite only spending one of what was sure to be many days there, and I figured the boss wouldn't mind if I took the night off to bring my date to her shop. So long as business kept up I doubted she cared which side of the flow I was on.

I called up the shop, explained the situation, and barely finished before the shop owner agreed it was fine. She seemed to be in a hurry to hang up, maybe because she was busy screaming about that "dumb-ass waste of space" who had, apparently, stolen her frying pan.

Going on a date to the café suddenly seemed like a slightly unsafe idea, but there was no changing it now.

All I had to do now was clean up and wait.

Great.

* * *

><p>I debated on whether or not to go over to Zelda's house for a moment, but then I realized she didn't know where the café was and having her walk to my house seemed rude. Having her walk at all seemed rude, but that's what you get for being self-emancipated.<p>

So it was a short walk later that I found myself standing at the edge of her lawn looking up at her house for a few long minutes, unmoving and hesitant about knocking on the door. Did her parents know about me yet? Did they know she was going on a date with a guy tonight or was it the old "I'm going out with the girls tonight" excuse?

Luckily I didn't have to ponder it too long as she walked casually but cautiously out the front door a few minutes later.

"You look good," I called to her, grinning like an idiot. She held up a finger to her lips.

"I told them I'm going out with some of the girls from the track team," she explained once she got within hush-hush talk range.

I so called that one.

"Ah, right on," I answered, offering her my arm. "Shall we?"

She giggled a little and a faint blush spread across her face. "But of course," she answered formally, barely choking back the laughter.

We made our way towards town, chatting about silly stuff like school and the weather. Which was actually freakin' fantastic if I did say so myself. We arrived at the café, and I guided her to an out-of-the-way table—one that would hopefully not come into the owner's line of sight throughout the night. After we took our seats Aaron walked over and took our order, not even acknowledging me. Something told me he wasn't doing it for my sake though.

While we were waiting for our food to be brought out, Zelda broached the subject of Dark and Darunia again. I really wish she hadn't, but if this is what it took to breach the walls and speak with her—our?—father then that's what I would discuss.

She started it with a barely casual question, "So do you hang out with anyone from school? Or maybe you used to?"

"Are you talking about Dark again?" I asked with a smirk.

She blushed at that but nodded.

"Well, when I started high school I was already like this," I explained.

"Like what?" she asked, genuinely dumbfounded.

"Like a punk with attitude issues." She slapped her hand to her forehead in the universal sign of oh, duh. "Anyway, I met up with Dark and Darunia freshman year, and we hung out for a while because we were all punks. You know, birds of a feather and stuff like that.

"We got into partying and stuff which was fine by me. We got smashed, did some stupid things, the usual," I paused trying to think of how to word the next part while keeping my character in good standing. "We got into some drugs. We did light stuff, but the really heavy stuff we sold for a decent chunk of cash. Don't tell the landlord but that's actually how I'm still paying for that apartment."

"You still sell?" Zelda asked, obviously surprised by this chapter of my life. Not a big surprised, she always seemed a little… sheltered.

"No, we just made that much money. Plus I didn't really spend it on anything else." I continued with the story, "Well selling was fine by me, but Dark started trying some of the stuff, and then he got Darunia into it. After they started doing that we kind of had a fall out over the whole thing. I really started to learn more about his family than I ever wanted to know after that." I scowled wordlessly.

"What's his family like?" she asked, curiosity unhidden.

Just as I was about to answer dinner finally arrived. "After," I promised. Eating would give me a break to think of how to tell her, without getting her into any kind of trouble. Breaking the walls down was one thing, but telling her things that might put her at risk was another. I mean especially if she turned out to be a half-sister. I couldn't let what might be my only living blood relation get into the same trouble I got into.

My stomach did an odd flip at the thought of actually having a blood relation that didn't want me dead. At least as far as I knew. I glanced away from my plate and studied Zelda for a moment, wondering for the first time what it would mean for me if she turned out to be my sister. Would it change anything? Just make everything at school awkward? How would she feel about it?

I shifted uneasily in my seat, and another question crept into my mind… one I didn't really want to consider. I mean the guy in the photo had to be my dad, right? So that would make him her dad too, wouldn't it? But…

What if it wasn't him?

What would I do about Zelda if her father were someone totally different? Originally the answer would've been simple: just dump her and move on, because the whole reason I wanted to go out with her in the first place was to track down my old man right? Now though, looking at her and considering the possibilities, I wasn't so sure it would be that simple.

Zelda actually… well she was interesting. She ran for the track team, but she also kept up her grades (all As, which didn't surprise me so much as impress me). A stereotypical perfect little girl, no doubt, but it felt like a shallow cover. I hung out with enough jocks to know that most of them were frauds, but this didn't feel fake. Really it felt kind of… guarded.

Which immediately caused my thoughts to shoot back to my father. Maybe she was hiding the abuse; maybe that was her big secret. I hated myself for thinking it, but I really hoped that was the case. Best to think of her as a long-lost sister than get attached.

I don't know how long I zoned out, but it must have been a while because Zelda was looking back at me now and smirking a little bit. I jumped a little in surprise.

"Uh?" I grunted in one of my oh-so-rare genius moments.

"Your food is going to get cold if you keep staring at me," she answered, clearly enjoying this. I felt the tips of my ears go red.

"Right," I muttered, killing off my dinner, all the while super aware of her watching me.

"So are you going to finish telling me about Dark's family?" she asked, brimming with curiosity, after the plates had been cleared away.

I leaned back in my chair and glanced to my left, thinking about how to explain his family. It wasn't so much a complex story as needing a complex way to tell it. Zelda was the type to stand up for what she thought was, and she was the type to track down wrongs and right them herself. Dark's family was a whole lot of wrong waiting to be righted.

"His family is actually really generous, so long as you're on their good side," I explained carefully. "They just get really aggressive when you fall out of their good graces."

"That sounds more than a little shady," she commented, resting her chin on her hand.

I shook my head in the negative. "Don't even think about it. Trust me the last thing you want to do is get involved with them."

"Who says I was thinking about getting involved?" she asked, feigning surprise.

"I can see it in your eyes," I answered, grinning. "But seriously, they're a group you want to avoid at all costs."

"What did they do to you?"

No such thing as being too blunt for this girl. "They didn't do anything to me that I didn't deserve," I said at last, hoping it would be enough to sate her curious nature. She frowned in a thoughtful kind of way.

"So what about your family?" I asked before she could come up with another dangerous question. "I mean, you know about mine already, or lack of anyways."

She gave me one last look—a kind of "this isn't over yet" look—before responding, "My family's pretty normal. It's just my parents and myself."

"You have that big old house and only three people live there?" I asked in an almost arrogant tone.

"Well, yeah," she answered uncertainly. Wait, did she take that the wrong way? Crap, didn't mean to offend her.

"Are they hard on you?" I asked, honestly curious, in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had fallen.

"Who?" she asked, coming out of her own thoughts.

"Your parents."

She nodded and then, to my surprise, smiled. "Kind of, but I think I'm really harder on myself than they ever could be," she explained. "Even though it's just me, they're not always focused on me." I made a mental note of that, but decided not to ask what she meant by that exactly.

"I'd like to meet them sometime," I mentioned easily, not betraying anything but sincere interest in progressing this "relationship."

She blinked at me uncertainly. "Do you want to meet them today?"

"Today?" I asked surprised.

"Unless you're not ready," she added on, blushing again.

"No, no, tonight would be great, but would I be intruding at all?" I asked, still a bit surprised by the suddenness.

"Tonight would be perfect actually because…" she trailed off and looked away from me, a little to the side in a kind of this-is-the-most-embarrassing-thing-I've-ever-done kind of way.

"Because?" I prompted, leaning forward.

"Well they'll be leaving tonight to go on a business trip together, so I was thinking you could stay over for a few nights," she babbled, anxiously looking at everything except for me and blushing fiercely. After a moment of silence she finally glanced up at my semi-red face and blushed even more. "Not like that," she explained. "Just because it gets so quiet in the house with just me."

"Sure," I answered easily, trying to calm her down a bit, although I had to admit it was kind of cute. "You don't have anything to worry about with me," I promised.

She nodded again, still blushing. "So, uh, I guess we should get going." I checked my watch and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>The walk back to her house was relatively uneventful, most likely because we both had other things on our minds. She was probably wondering if she was going to lose her virginity, but I was busy preparing myself for her father. I wasn't even worried about him in the traditional going-home-to-meet-the-girl's-parents kind of way. No, this went a lot deeper than that.<p>

I let out a long sigh, wondering what I would do if it turned out to be him. Face to face with the man that ruined my life, the man I should have been able to call father, but that title would now allude him forever if I had any say in it. The whole reason for trying to earn Zelda's trust—an easier task than I thought it would be; I guess my sheltered theory was correct—was to get close enough to confront this man.

I would punch him, for starters.

I wasn't a little kid who couldn't stand his ground in a fight anymore. I wasn't someone he could push around. I wasn't under his control. But despite all the bravado I was building up in my head that same uncomfortable question stirred in my mind.

What if I was wrong?

What if this wasn't the guy who filled my nightmares; what if he was just another hard working guy trying to cut it in the world. I looked over at Zelda, quietly walking by my side and felt my stomach knot up. Was I honestly afraid of losing a friend after all that I had been through? Was that what she was to me? A friend?

I shook my head and looked forward again, only to see her house loom in the distance.

Too late to turn back now.

We walked up to the front door and Zelda pulled a key out of her pocket, asking for me to wait on the porch while she fetched her parents. I self-consciously ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make sure it was semi-presentable. Real or not, if I looked like a street rat they probably wouldn't even spare me a second glance.

Then Zelda came back and muttered a quiet, "Come in," and a few short steps later I found myself face to face with her parents. Her mom looked a lot like her, not surprisingly, and then as discreetly as I could, I took a deep breath and turned towards her father.

Our eyes met and I felt my jaw drop.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

I felt my jaw drop open and my eyes go wide.

"Hello there," the man said pleasantly. "Your name's Link, right? Zelda's mentioned you a few times, and I was beginning to wonder when we'd meet you."

The woman next to him—Zelda's mother—smiled in agreement. "She speaks very highly of you."

"Mom," Zelda muttered, sounding understandably embarrassed.

But I couldn't focus on her, or even what her parents were saying. Her parents.

Not my father.

The man before me was not someone I had met before, and he definitely wasn't my father. He looked a little like him, of course, but he clearly wasn't my father. It wasn't just that he didn't recognize me, but I didn't recognize him either. My eyes shifted to the doorway, where I knew just around the corner there was a small end table where a picture frame held a photo that I had to see again.

How could I have been wrong? I knew his face perfectly; I knew every wrong he'd ever done. When I thought of a super villain, of an unconquerable foe, it was always his image in my mind. So how did I screw this up?

Then my heart started pounding in my chest because I suddenly realized the mistake I made meant I had another choice to make. I tore my gaze from the entrance to the room and back to Zelda. I felt my face flush and the room swayed in response. I used her to get to my father—no to get to this man that turned out not to be my father—so now what? Where was the door? Could I run far enough quick enough?

And what about being in school? After all I did to get in there I couldn't just waste my sniveling; it wasn't something I did that often. I could change schools, would that really bug me that much? No of course not, I don't care about that crap.

"Hey, are you okay Link?" Zelda's worried tone pierced the fog of my mind. "You don't look so well."

"Maybe you should lay down," her mother offered. My gaze snapped back to her father and the room spun again and I felt the blood pound in my ears.

"Damn it," I mumbled, a breathy sound with no volume. Where'd my voice go? Just when I needed it. Damn it! This always happens to me. People walk out on me, stupid supposedly reliable things fail me. I couldn't even count on my own fucking voice.

"Son, I think the ladies are right, maybe you should take a seat," her father offered, placing a hand on my shoulder. I flinched under the touch and he quickly backed away. "Is he okay?" her father asked, but not to me this time, to Zelda, in a kind of what-did-you-just-bring-into-my-house tone. Gods I hated that tone.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," I growled, finding my voice again. The parents exchanged a worried glance. "Don't act like I'm a fucking idiot!"

"Link, calm down!" Zelda demanded, more in surprise than anger. "What's gotten into you?"

"Zelda is he always like this?" her father asked, starting to sound not only worried but defensive. Was he going to throw me out like garbage? No, not without a fight.

"No, Dad, I don't know what's gotten into him, honestly!" she insisted, looking worriedly at me all the while. Stop talking about me like I don't exist. I felt my legs tremble, as if I had been running a long time. The room started to spin faster, more consistently. Crap, what's going on?

"I think he's sick," someone said. Was it Zelda? "We should call an ambulance or something! We have to do something!"

"Zelda I think there's more wrong with this boy than that," one of her parents scolded. "Sick is one thing, but he's yelling gibberish!" Was I still talking? I didn't think I was.

"Please we need to do something for him—something's not right!" Another plead from Zelda.

"Maybe we should call the police." I tried to meet the eyes of the person who said that, but blinked in surprise when I realized my eyes hadn't even been open; I didn't remember closing them.

"He's sick, not a criminal!"

"Has he been like this all night?"

"Is this really the boy you've been hanging out with? I have to say Zelda I'm disappointed in you."

"Be disappointed later he—!"

"…No we can't and he won't—."

"…Should tell…"

What the hell were they talking about? My stomach started to churn and I felt bile rise in my throat. I felt myself sway uneasily to the side.

"…Gods…!"

"Link!"

Darkness started to encroach on the edge of my vision. I tried to find a familiar face, but when I opened my eyes all that met them was soft, white carpeting.

_Crash!_

* * *

><p>"—Out of this house as soon as he wakes up," a stern voice warned. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it. "Now we have to go catch our flight."<p>

"Zelda, please don't do anything reckless or stupid," another voice, female, pleaded gently. "We care about you and don't want _anything_ happening while we're gone."

"Give me some credit mother, I wouldn't do anything so depraved!" a surprised, offended voice… no, this one I recognized. Zelda.

"We trust you, Zelda," the male voice spoke again. "But we don't even know this boy. And after last night I sincerely hope this is the last we'll see of him."

"But Dad, he—!"

"No buts, young lady," the man interrupted. "Now be a good girl, and be safe."

"We love you sweetheart, and we'll see you in just a few days," the woman purred, a slight warning mixed into the gentle words.

I heard footsteps and then a door click shut, then after a few minutes a car engine revved to life outside. I must still be in her house. Well, that's good. At least they didn't throw me out after I—.

What happened last night?

I must have passed out, but why? I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the flawless, white ceiling. Oh, that's right. I got the wrong guy, so I panicked. I haven't freaked out like that in a long time, not since I first left way back when. My jaw clenched, a knee-jerk reaction. What was the point of thinking about it though? I picked the wrong guy, and now it just felt like he really was gone for good.

I slowly—carefully—sat up, worried about passing out again if I got up too quickly.

I never missed my father, exactly. I mean, he was a total douche, so why would I? But I was so obsessed with finding him again that I didn't even hesitate to use a girl who didn't even deserve it. To take out my frustrations on someone who wronged me was one thing, but to treat a woman I barely knew like a toy? That made me as bad as my old man at least.

Gods, why did it matter so much? So what if I didn't find him? I haven't even seen him for years, so why should I care now all of a sudden?

I felt oddly hollow as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and cautiously stood up. A little idea started to tickle in the back of my mind: what if I actually _wanted_ to see him again? Was it possible to miss someone who brought you into this world, and then almost immediately wanted to take you back out?

My stomach started to churn, but I shook off the idea before I could get worked up again. Instead I plodded over to the door, and reached for the doorknob; I had to find Zelda and apologize, for last night if nothing else. Just as I was about to open the door though it swung open and crashed into my unsuspecting nose.

"Ow! Crap, that hurt!" I howled, clutching my nose, which was now staining the once-pristine carpet.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" Zelda apologized, rushing to my side. "Oh! Hold on, I'll be right back, let me get some towels!"

Before I could reply she rushed out of the room, unthinkingly closing the door behind her. Better open it, otherwise she'll forget and end up hitting me again. Gods she could be a bit of a klutz for a track star. I reached for the door handle again, but before I could even get a grip on it, it swung open again, causing my nose to bleed with a renewed vigor.

"Shit! Zelda!" I yelled, clenching my jaw in pain. Crap I think she broke my damn nose!

"I'm so sorry! Here, I brought a towel!" she stammered, offering up said towel.

"Oh gee, you break my nose and offer me a towel, thanks," I mutter sarcastically.

"Hey, at least I'm helping you clean yourself up!" she snapped back.

"I wouldn't need help cleaning anything up if you hadn't _broken my damn nose_!" I replied, glaring. A moment of silence passed before we both broke into grins. "Gods I feel so stupid," I muttered, shaking my head.

"You feel stupid? I'm the one who hit you with a door—twice!" Zelda answered, laughing.

I chuckled in reply. "Yeah, well, you have me there. Do you have a bathroom I can use, instead of bleeding on your carpet?"

"Oh, yes, right this way," she answered, snapping out of her giggling fit, but not quite able to shake the smirk.

She led me to a room a few doors down the hallway, and I couldn't help but glance down the stairs towards where I knew the photo sat. That damn picture was the whole reason I was in this mess. My eyes drifted back to Zelda. Well, maybe not such a big mess. Really being in a cute girl's house with no parental supervision should be a dream come true, but unanswered questions left me feeling uneasy.

"Use whatever you need," she instructed me, standing anxiously in the doorway. "Uh, call me if you need anything."

"Will do," I answered, turning the faucet on. She left to, I guess, go do whatever it was she had been doing before she assaulted me with a door. I washed away the blood, and carefully prodded my nose. Damn it, that seriously stung, but at least it looked like it wasn't actually broken. Probably just be sore for a while. I dried off my face, glad that the bleeding had stopped, and happened to catch a glance of myself in the mirror.

The front of my shirt was soaked in blood. Gods I just can't win, can I?

I peeled off the sticky mess and bunched it up. Time to go find a washing machine. Rich people had washing machines, right? I backtracked to the stairs we had passed earlier and peered downstairs. Was she down there or up here still? This place really was too damn big for only three people.

"Zelda?" I called, still looking over the banister.

"Yeah?" came her surprisingly close response. I turned to see her emerge from a room just a couple of doors down the hallway. She walked towards me, and something stirred in the bottom of my stomach. It wasn't like the sick, sinking feeling I had earlier. This felt a little more natural, not to mention a whole hell of a lot friendlier.

"Uh, I need a washing machine," I told her uncertainly. She finally noticed the bundle in my hands and a light blush crossed her cheeks.

"Oh, sure, it's downstairs," she answered, leading the way once more. We walked pass the picture this time, and I had to spare a glance at it. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it again. It _was _him. It had to be. The man in the photo had to be my father, because he certainly wasn't Zelda's father—not the one I had met last night anyways.

I picked up the picture and stared at it dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?

"Link?" Zelda asked, concern coloring her tone and snapping me back to the present.

"Who is this man?" I demanded, shoving the picture towards her more harshly than I had intended.

"Oh, that was one of my mother's husbands," she answered.

"Is he your father?" I demanded again.

"No," she answered, more unsure of my reaction than her answer. "My father was my mother's first husband, but he died when I was very young. The man in the photo is her second husband, but she divorced him. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," I muttered. "Sorry I just thought I knew him. Where's the washing machine again?"

"Oh, this way," she said, watching as I replaced the photo carefully. Get a grip man; you're scaring the crap out of her. To be honest I was kind of scaring myself now. She had asked a good question: what _had _gotten into me? When did I get so paranoid and uptight about shit?

I shook my head, dismissing the thought as Zelda asked for my shirt. I handed over the bloody mess of a shirt and she tossed it in the machine. "Well that takes care of that," she proclaimed, brushing her hands together. She leaned against the machine and smiled at me. My stomach did a flip and I felt my heart speed up.

"Uh, Zelda," I started uncertainly.

"If you're worried about last night, just forget it," she responded before I could even stitch the words together. Her smile was so gentle, easy, natural. When she smiled it was like her entire being was aligned with that perfect twist of her lips. Gods what about her smile made me feel like this? I took a step towards her, watching her mouth, watching as her bottom lip quivered in… fear? No, anticipation.

I leaned towards her and rested my hands on the machine, on either side of her so that she was entrapped between my arms. "Link…" she said in a breathy voice, like she had stopped breathing for a moment.

"Your smile is so beautiful," I whispered, leaning closer still. She closed her eyes and I closed the short gap between us, pressing my lips against hers, tasting the sweetness of her smile.

I couldn't live in the past or I would shatter on jagged memories, and I had never worried about the future, so why start now? Now, all that mattered was her sweet lips, and for now, that was enough.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve _

The kiss grew to the point where it could've turned into a lot more, but that wasn't why I was here. And anyways, I don't think I could do that without regretting it later. She was different than other girls. I almost wanted to say she was special, but that would've been corny even for me. Truth is, the washing machine made a loud dinging noise when it finished, and that's what broke us apart, both blushing and looking at anything except each other.

She tossed the shirt—looking significantly blood-free—into the dryer, and led us back upstairs, while I spent time marveling again at the size of the house. I hadn't bothered to ask, mostly because I couldn't, but I wondered what her father and mother did that they had to be away all the time. Must be a pretty solid job if they could afford a place like this.

Zelda pointed out the TV to me, and went off to make lunch, saying I was free to walk around if I wanted.

That left me where I stood now, staring again at that picture. Did she know how bad this man was? Did she still know where he lived? Was he still in touch with her? I felt my eyes water up, and I wondered if I had a concussion or something. I started to feel light-headed, but I didn't think my nose had bled that much. Head wounds always bled a lot, sure, but still.

I decided to let it go, for now, and wandered over to the couch. I found the remote and started flipping channels, but I wasn't really looking for anything particular. After a while (the old eight-hundred channels and nothing to watch syndrome) I found a semi-entertaining reality show and watched it, only half paying attention.

Today was Sunday, and we had school Monday—Spring Break was still weeks away—but I didn't know how long Zelda's parents would be gone. I guess I had to run back to my house Monday after school to pick up some clothes if I was going to be crashing here for a while. I guess I should really just make tracks back home now, but a couple of things stopped me from pounding pavement.

First of all I needed to find out just how much Zelda remembered about my father—if she knew where he lived now. I still wasn't sure what finding him would do; maybe I just needed a sense of closure, who knows? Second and slightly less important, I was kind of worried about my health. I had been feeling light-headed and my whole body's been gimmicky and unreliable at best. And then, of course, there was Zelda herself.

Maybe I just wanted to make sure she was safe, knowing she'd be all alone in this big, lonely house. Maybe it was more of me being afraid to be alone. Maybe she filled something that had been left hallow for the longest time. I don't know what it was exactly, but I just felt _better_ being around her. Better than I've felt in a long time.

I thought back to the odd way I felt whenever she stepped into the room. Sweaty palms, heart racing, almost the same reaction as when I got scared, but it was a different kind of scared with her, and even I knew that.

* * *

><p>I could smell something burning.<p>

It wasn't food or anything, it just smelled like natural wood burning. It was a sweet, smoky smell that could lull you into peaceful dreaming. Warmth fluctuated around me, wrapping me in a cocoon as sleepiness wove me a soft pillow.

Then I heard Zelda scream and my eyes shot open, pulse pounding instantly upon seeing my surroundings.

Fire.

Everywhere, there was fire. The house was burning. I leapt up and took off in the direction of the scream. The weakened frame of the house bended and bowed as the fire ate away at it. How long had it been burning? How much longer would it stay in one piece? I burst into what I instinctively knew was the kitchen and searched desperately for her.

"Zelda!" I called out, getting a lungful of smoke in return. "Zelda, where are you?" I heard her scream again and moved towards the sound; she was close now. I went into a room connected to the kitchen, kicking in the door in my way.

The sight before me was nearly enough to freeze me in my tracks.

_He _loomed over her, holding a knife, laughing. She screamed in terror again. "Link, save me!"

"Zelda, no!" I rushed towards her, broken from my trance, but it was too late. He brought the knife down, planting it firmly in her heart, and I felt mine throb in response. I clutched my chest. "Zelda!" I screamed, but I could no longer hear my voice.

The man turned around, grinning wickedly. "You've failed her again." An image of my mother's body flashed in my mind. I tried to scream again, to at least curse him for all that he's stolen from me, but I couldn't even take another breath.

I fell to my knees, Zelda's blood pooling around us.

_No! _

Darkness swallowed my vision and the floor rushed towards me.

* * *

><p>"Link!" Zelda's voice cut through the darkness, jarring me awake. I jumped up violently, blood rushing to my head in response. "Calm down! You're okay!" After the spots cleared from my vision I looked around, my breathing slowly returning to normal.<p>

The house wasn't on fire; I was still by the couch, the TV playing in the background. Zelda stood a couple of steps away from me, uninjured and with a concerned frown on her face.

Was it a dream?

"What happened?" I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.

"I think you were having a nightmare," she said, still looking worried. "You were tossing and muttering."

I looked away, and noticed the stack of sandwiches on a plate nearby. That's right, I had been watching TV while she made lunch. It was just a bad dream, nothing more. "I'm sorry if I scared you," I muttered, plopping back down on the couch.

"It's fine," she answered, although she didn't sound totally convinced. "Are you hungry?"

"Starved," I answered, reaching for a sandwich. "Thanks."

She leaned back against the arm of the couch and watched me scarf down a couple before speaking up again. "What was your dream about?"

I brushed the crumbs from my hand and shrugged. "I can't really remember, honestly." I looked towards her to see her face scrunched up in an unreadable, thoughtful manner.

"Link do you think I'm stupid?" she finally asked after a moment.

"What?" I responded, surprised by the question. "No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Because it's painfully obvious that there's something else going on here," she deadpanned, not beating around the bush at all.

I swallowed anxiously. "I just…" I trailed off, not certain of what to say. I tried to get close to her with the sole purpose of finding my father again, but I didn't really consider her feelings. Of course, I didn't just want to use her; I really did like her, hell, I even thought of her as a friend. I assumed for so long she had to at least be my half-sister that I never could've thought of her as anything else.

No, that's not true.

In the beginning, before I saw the photo… what was my reason then? Why did I help her? Hell, I started going to school just to see her. My stomach did that odd flip again, and this time when I looked at her, I felt something change within me.

"Zelda, I really do like you," I whispered. It was time to come clean, otherwise I would just be wronging her. "But then I saw that picture, and I lost sight of that."

She didn't bother asking when I had seen the picture, but it wasn't very hard to figure out. "Why does that photo bother you so much?" she asked in a gentle tone, not accusingly or angrily.

"That man," I started, but then hesitated. How did I explain everything that had happened? "I think—no, I know he's my father." I had to give this girl credit, she didn't even flinch. In fact, she sat perfectly still, not allowing any emotion to cross her face. It was something I liked about her; she made up her mind about something after thinking it through and then stuck to it. It was a trait I was thankful for more now than ever before.

Finally she said, "You thought he was my father when you saw it." I nodded, feeling a healthy dose of shame for keeping it all from her for so long.

"How well did you know him?" I asked, figuring all cards were on the table now.

Zelda let out a sigh and her features relaxed. She seemed almost relieved. "Not very well," she admitted. "I was still fairly young when she re-married, and he didn't stay around long."

"Do you know why she divorced him?" I asked. Her face scrunched up in response. "Um, sorry, not to be nosey, but—."

"Oh, it's fine," she quickly reassured. "I just wish I knew what he was to you."

My face tightened into a grim mask, unseeing as I thought back to the days I lived a miserable life with him. "He was my father, but only because his damned DNA happens to be inside of me. He's crazy, I know that now, but I didn't know it when I was younger. He beat my mother and me, actually I think he did it _because _of me," I explained, wincing at all the painful memories bubbling to the surface after years of repression. "I hate him, but I need to find him again.

"When I found you," I explained, relaxing a bit as I thought of the first time I saw her. "I felt something I hadn't felt in a very long time—like a hole inside of me was being filled slowly. I didn't know what to do though, because I'd never…" I paused, trying to edit my feelings out. If I kept up the mushy talk my face was going to burn off. "Well, long story short, when I saw that picture I thought you'd lead me to him, and I…"

"Used me?" she filled in. I winced, but nodded.

"There really isn't a nice way to put it," I said in apology. "But please, you have to believe that wasn't my reason in the beginning." For the first time in a long time, maybe since I'd left my father behind, I felt pathetic. Teachers, kids, plenty of people really, had called me a loser in the past, but this was the first time I ever felt truly deserving of the title. This girl—this beautiful woman—let me in her life, trusting me, and I squandered it. Gods I haven't hated myself this much since I lived with my father either.

Now she couldn't totally keep the emotion from her eyes. "I want to believe you, I really do, but," she paused. "I need time to think about this. I still owe you a favor though." She stood up and walked out of the room, returning a minute later with a piece of paper. She offered me the paper, and I took it, looking at it confusedly.

"What's this?"

"His address," she answered solemnly. I stared at the numbers and words, not really making sense of them. I finally had it: my ticket to finding him.

"How do I thank you for this?" I whispered, looking up at her gratefully.

"Leave," she answered, once again showing no emotion. She turned and once more left the room, and I heard her quietly make her way up the stairs. It didn't hit me until after I collected my clothes and started making my way back to the apartment.

I really screwed up this time.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_

I made my way back home, because really, there was nothing for me to do tonight.

Tossing my shirt over the back of the couch, I looked at the paper I had clenched in my fist again. My ticket to him, sure that was simple enough, but what did I want to do exactly? Confront him, fight him, sue him? Shit, I could've done a lot to dear old dad, but what did I really want from him? Letting out a long sigh, I thought again that tonight wasn't the night.

I would go over tomorrow after school, and then after I shot the biggest elephant in my room, I would go back to Zelda. I didn't exactly grow up with a strong father figure in the house, but even I knew that what I did was wrong. Twisted even. I guess I could blame my history for that, but I knew deep down that wasn't right.

If anyone deserved a sincere apology from me, it would have to be Zelda. No, she deserved even more than that, but an apology would be all that I could give her. I guess I could always swear to protect her for the rest of my life, but that just sounded corny and medieval.

I wandered to my bed and collapsed upon it, mind still reeling from what had happened today. I finally got what I had been looking for after all these years.

So why did I feel so crappy about it?

* * *

><p><em>What a stupid jerk. What an idiot. What an asshole.<em>

Zelda lay on her bed, pounding a feather-stuffed pillow, wishing the cucco they'd been plucked from was Link, so that way she'd be hitting him in a sense. Gods that was so illogical. She tossed the pillow across the room, ignoring whatever fell in response.

At least by now she had stopped crying. She'd barely been able to keep her eyes dry in front of Link, and in fact, she didn't make it all the way up the stairs before the waterworks had kicked in.

She had been so stupid; to see a known delinquent save her once didn't mean anything. Painting something gold didn't turn it into gold, only made it shiny enough to pass the inspection of unsuspecting eyes. Even from their first conversation, though, she really thought he might be different. Her body had never quite reacted like that to any other boy before. She honestly thought he was something special.

What drew her in?

Maybe it was nothing more than good timing on his part. The night she was jumped in the back alley after running out on her so-called friends, she didn't care what happened to her. Something deep within her had actually _wanted _something to happen. That night she didn't even care if the man raped and killed her, she just needed to know she was still alive to someone. That she still mattered.

The night her friends had mentioned their parents. Not an unusual topic, by any means, but then the question turned towards her. They looked at her and asked what her parents were like on a normal day.

"Well, they can be a pain at times," she had answered vaguely. "Really they're pretty typical, even though I'm sure they'd like to think they're special." This elicited a laugh from her group of friends, and she smiled, feeling the dangerous question slipping away. But then Malon had turned towards her as the laughter died down, smirking.

"She's being too modest," the redhead had claimed. "Her parents are awesome. They're never around. They, like, never pay any attention to Zelda. She could probably sneak guys into her house every night and they wouldn't have a clue." Snickers from the rest of the group egged her on. "I worry about the poor girl every night. One of these days she'll be in an accident and her parents won't even notice!"

Another one of the girls had chimed in, "I could totally picture that happening. 'Hey have you seen Zelda lately?'"

"'Zelda who?'" the rest of the group crowed in response. They all burst into laughter and Zelda felt her head spin. Was her throat constricting because she was offended or because she knew it was true?

Then he walked over—dressed up in that dorky uniform—and plopped the burgers down right in the center of the table without a single word. He gave us a look like he would rather eat dirt than serve us, but his presence cleared away the clouds in my mind. I had to get a grip, and then, I started to wonder why he had given us that look—me especially. What was his damage?

"Zelda I think that guy likes you," one of her friends had whispered, smirking slyly. Malon nodded in agreement, but remained silent, which was unlike her.

"Isn't he from our school?" one of the girls had asked. "You should totally go for him!"

"I don't know guys," one of her more closed-minded friends had whispered, maybe out of fear of being heard by him. "I heard that guy's done some pretty messed up stuff."

"Like what?" one of them asked, and the whole group had leaned forward in expectation.

"I heard he once assaulted a teacher—broke his arm and everything!" she claimed. A collective gasp. "And that's not even scratching the surface. He's only still allowed in school because the principal's too afraid to throw him out! Even though he never does homework and rarely even attends, they know that he'll kill them all if they act out against him!"

"That's stupid," Malon scoffed. "Why would he want to stay enrolled if he never shows?"

"Because," her friend continued excitedly, "he had no where else to go! His family is, like, nonexistent, so he has to camp out on school grounds just for a place to say. Of course he just resorts the thievery for food and whatever else he wants." The girls started whispering amongst themselves, shocked that such a hooligan would run their good school. Zelda looked back towards him and caught him ducking, pretending like he hadn't been watching them. He acted so restrained and shy. Could he really be that bad?

"Please, all of that is _nothing_ compared to what I've heard," another friend bragged, smirking triumphantly and effectively capturing the interest of the group. "I heard he's impregnated almost half of our class. Of course, most of them get abortions so they don't embarrass themselves anymore, but he's never nice about it. He always abuses the girls he dates, and then as soon as something goes wrong, he ditches them."

"He doesn't seem that bad," Zelda defended quietly. Her friends all turned on her like a pack of hyenas.

"Well, of course you wouldn't have a problem going out with him," Malon remarked smartly. "Your parents wouldn't care what he did to you; they wouldn't even care if he killed you. They probably wouldn't realize you were going out with anyone even after the fact."

Her so-called friends burst into laughter, and something she had repressed deep within her snapped. She stood up and rushed out of the restaurant, tears blurring her vision, the snickering and whispers of her friends chasing behind her, reaching her like the tendrils of a ghost she couldn't outrun.

Her feet hit pavement and instinctively she turned towards the direction of her home, not noticing the man in the alley until she bumped into him. Rebounding off his bulk she stumbled a few steps back, staring at the shady man in terror.

"Well, well, look at what we have here," he purred. "A pretty little lady's fallen right into my hands." She felt a scream tear from her throat as he approached her with a toothy grin. She tripped trying to back away, falling in a defenseless heap. _Oh gods. _She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Hey, what're you doin' back here?" a voice called, a barely controlled anger on the edge of his voice.

The man that had been looming over me just a moment ago turned away from me to face whoever had interrupted him. "Shut up Shrimp," he growled. "It's none of your business."

She looked around her assailant only to meet brilliant blue eyes, filled with unbridled rage. "Like hell it isn't," he growled in response.

The man who attacked her paid her no more mind, focusing solely on her savior. "What're you gonna do about it then? Hu, Shrimp?" he taunted, cracking his knuckles.

Instead of answering his challenge with words the blue-eyed hero rushed towards him, punching him and effectively knocking him out.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, kneeling down next to her. It was the guy from school who worked here—the one she had that odd conversation with earlier that same day.

She nodded, breathing shakily. "Yeah, I'm okay. He just shook me up a little." He offered her his hand, smiling gently. Probably trying to ease the panic undoubtedly obvious in her eyes. She took his hand and he hoisted her up easily.

"You're going to regret that, Shrimp," the man, apparently not quite knocked out, warned. He started to back away from them, escaping the alley, but never once took his eyes off Link. "Mark my words."

It didn't even seem to faze him—what was his name? Oh, Link. "Shut the hell up and get out of here before I decide to really kick your ass," he barked, not missing a beat. The man turned and exited the alley, glaring daggers at us all the while.

"Thank you," Zelda whispered, bringing Link's attention away from the direction the man had escaped. "Oh gods I feel awful for teasing you earlier now," she breathed, utterly shocked at her earlier behavior when she had ordered the food. It seemed as if it all happened ages ago now.

"Well, I wouldn't have let you get jumped just for teasing me, obviously," he answered, a goofy grin on his face. She had to admit, it was kind of cute.

He had walked her home that night, keeping her company and conversing easily with her. Her heart fluttered in her chest the entire walk back that night. She knew that night that she wouldn't be able to keep Link from her mind for a very long time.

Zelda rolled over in her bed, sniffling. She hated crying and thinking back like this, but it felt like she was nearly out of tears now. Glancing at the clock she realized why: it was nearly 10 already. How had she lost so much time crying? Shifting again in her bed she couldn't help but wonder what Link was up to. Was he sleeping again? That seemed hard to believe, considering how much he had slept recently.

Grabbing a pillow and snuggling it against her chest she thought about the day after he had walked her home. It was one of those days she regretted, especially with what had happened recently.

She saw him walking down the hall in a rush the next day at school. For a minute she thought about approaching him and striking up a conversation, but just as she was about to move forward he ran headlong into someone racing in the opposite direction. Peering at the crumpled mess on the ground she recognized her friend Malon, but what was she doing out of class?

An anxious feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach as Link assisted Malon, picking up her papers and flirting with her. What was up with this feeling?

Just as he handed her the last of the fallen papers Zelda snapped back to reality and quickly turned, taking off in the opposite direction before Link had the chance to acknowledge her presence. She didn't go far, only around the corner where he wouldn't see her. Why did seeing him with Malon worry her like this? It wasn't as if he meant anything to her, right?

He saved her, and talked to her, what? Twice? Hardly a stellar relationship of any kind. Even calling it a friendship would make it appear pale and weak. She shook her head, thinking about how he had looked at her and helped her, but then he had done just as much for Malon hadn't he? Maybe the girls were right and he was just a delinquent with no sense of loyalty or decency.

If luck had been on her side that day, then she never would've found herself caught by him shortly after track practice. "What do you want?" she asked, not at all in the mood to talk to him.

He pulled a face and answered, "Uh, nothing, just thought I'd say hi. What's got your panties in a knot?"

She had to pause to restrain the foreign anger that suddenly flooded her. "Look," she said after a long moment of restraining herself from an out-right outburst, "if you're not serious, then don't play with me." Best to tell him straight up, leave no room for questions or possibilities. _Gods I'm starting to sound like my mother._

He looked baffled by this. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"I saw you with Malon earlier. If you're more interested in her then go for it, but if you're trying to get in both of our good graces, then I'll have you know I have more dignity than that!" she explained, returning his surprised expression with a level glare.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about," he claimed, appearing honestly ignorant. "I was just helping her pick up papers; I ran into her. What did you want me to do? Ignore her and not help?"

The bitter anger Zelda had bit back all day finally burst forth in a single syllable. "Yes!" Trembling slightly she continued, "Look, just forget it and leave me alone." She had stomped off angrily, not thinking that she would regret their fight before the end of the night.

Zelda made her way home as usual after that, stopping on the way to pick up some dinner for herself. She arrived at her house, read a note on the fridge that predictably said her parents would be out late tonight, and that she was on her own for dinner. Everything was so normal, but as the night wore on an odd feeling filled her. Almost as if she could sense something was wrong, but that was ridiculous. Her parents would still be at the office, and everyone else she knew and actually cared about was home safe.

No, not everyone she realized. She had no idea where Link was. The feeling only grew stronger after she came to the realization, but when 11 rolled by uneventfully, aside from her parents arriving home, she decided all she could do was go to bed and put the ominous feeling from her mind.

It was several hours later when her brewing premonition finally came to fruitarian.

The doorbell rang once, and she must have been sleeping lightly, because it was enough to jar her awake. She trooped downstairs, glancing down the hallway as she went to make sure her parents hadn't been awoken. Finally she opened the door slowly, the sweet scent of the night air rushing in around her. There, bleeding and bruised on her porch, lay Link.

"Link?" she gasped, dropping to her knees. "What happened to you? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, barely audible. "Couldn't think of anywhere else." All of her earlier anger at him seemed to melt away unexplainably, but then again, what could she do? He had come to her. He trusted her to take care of him.

She hesitated only for a moment, thinking of her parents. She could always explain to them the state he had come in. Even their icy hearts would melt when the met him. "Okay, my parents are sleeping," she explained, "so you need to be really quiet."

She helped him upstairs, laying him in her own bed. "I'll be right back, wait here," she whispered once he was settled in. She needed to go find some first aid supplies.

"Not goin' anywhere," he mumbled, the ghost of that goofy grin appearing on his lips. Zelda couldn't help but give a small, breathless chuckle at the sight. His eyes started to close before she even made it to the door, so she wasn't surprised when she returned a few minutes later to find him passed out.

Zelda plucked lint off the sheet covering her mattress as she recalled the night she tended to Link's wounds. A blush crept across her face just thinking about it.

When she returned with the first aid kit she started by cleaning off what scratches and cuts were visible, mindful of his head and worried that he might have a concussion. As she cleaned him up, though, she realized that the majority of the bleeding wasn't from the minor cuts on his arms and face. Nervously she glanced at his shirt, noticing a particularly blood soaked spot.

_Oh dear goddesses._

Slowly, carefully, she peeled his shirt off the wound and then over his head, tossing the messy thing aside for the time being. She chewed on her lip—a bad habit of hers—and carefully started to clean around the wound. It seemed like there was only one serious injury on his torso and most of the bleeding originated from there.

As she patched the gash she felt her face heat up. _Blessed goddesses he was well built_. She finished cleaning and covering the injury on his side and found her hands gently brushing his abs, trailing down towards his waistline. She pulled the cover off him and took a look at his pants. They were pretty dirty; maybe she should take them off too—to clean them, of course.

She crept back towards the door to the room, poking her head out and glancing around nervously. No sign of anyone else in the house stirring. She made her way back to him and took a deep breath. Her shaky hands unbuttoned the jeans he was wearing, and then slowly unzipped them. Tugging them off was fairly easy, and she tossed them on top of his shirt.

_Oh my gods._

She felt her gaze continuously linger towards his—she couldn't even consider thinking about _it_. Shaking herself from the thoughts she retrieved his discarded clothes from the floor and retreated out of the room.

After washing the clothes she had rolled out a mat in her room to sleep on, and the next morning she awoke before her parents and Link, thankfully. Once he woke up they shared a brief exchange before she had to leave.

Zelda finally stood up and walked over to the discarded pillow, breaking away from her flitting memories. She almost wished she had faked being sick that day, because everything about him changed after that.

By time she and her parents returned from lunch Link was long gone, but that evening he called, sounding desperate and… scared. Maybe that's why she agreed to meet him after her parents fell asleep. Maybe she didn't even really need a reason. At the time she felt like she knew him more than she knew her own parents. And she trusted him profoundly. It was no exaggeration when she said that she would trust him with her life—she already had.

That night she noticed right away how different he was acting compared to that morning, but when he said _those _words all of that fled her mind. She could only think of one thing to say to him: yes. She tried to think of what was going on logically when it happened, but when he sprung the question on her she just wasn't prepared. She should've told him no. Demanded to know what had gotten into him right then, instead of allowing it to escalate to this point.

She stayed over at his apartment the night he asked, and after a brief breakfast together, they parted ways again for a time. _It almost seemed like, just as he was getting closer, he started trying to distance himself from me. Maybe that's exactly what he had been doing._

A few days later she ran into him again, after track practice, in the same place they had first met. He had been talking to some old friends of his, but aside from his obvious discomfort around them, he seemed almost normal again. As if his breakdown had never occurred. He even offered to take her out on a date, wanting to dodge the dance, but not wanting to avoid her any longer it seemed.

He took her, as promised, and the date seemed to be going fairly well, but there was still something off about his general attitude towards her. It was the odd light in his eyes that looked through her rather than at her. It was in the nervous shift of his shoulders, the change in the tone of his voice. They were all little things, but she noticed them.

And then she had to wonder when she had started to notice so much about him.

One thing led to another that night and she found herself offering to house him while her parents were out of town. It could've been the biggest mistake of her life for plenty of reasons, but she never expected to end up regretting it in the way she did now.

As soon as he laid eyes on her parents he seemed to breakdown into a panic attack, much like the one she had witnessed just before he had suddenly asked her to go out with him. Her parents, probably judging his appearance more than anything, worried she had brought a drug addict into their house and he was having some sort of epileptic seizure.

Zelda was no medical professional, and she wasn't necessarily good at reading people, but you would have to be blind not to see there was something seriously wrong with Link that night. Despite her better judgment—and her parent's suggestions—she chose to keep him in her house regardless. She had to know what had changed in him, and more importantly, she had to know how to get it back.

The next morning passed by in a blur for both of them, and Zelda hoped against all logical thought that maybe—just maybe—he had been working too hard. The stress of living on his own had gotten to him finally. So when he fell asleep again early in the afternoon, after having been awake only a short while, she hoped resting would help him.

Then, as she watched the gentle movements of his chest as he breathed steadily, he suddenly stopped moving. Only for a moment, but long enough that she noticed and moved to his side.

"Zelda," he had muttered. Then he started to toss and turn, his action only restless at first, but it quickly turned into thrashing. And then he started screaming. Frightened, she shook his shoulder, desperately trying to wake him up.

When he awoke he looked around frantically, confused. It took a long few minutes before his breathing returned to normal and he relaxed. She offered him some of the food she had prepared for them, and watched him carefully.

It was while she watched him, as he cast a nervous look around the house while he ate, that she realized whatever this problem was, it had to be confronted. No matter what it might mean for her or her relationship with him. Something was eating him alive, from the inside out, and whatever it was he was—for whatever reason—currently struggling to keep it repressed, especially in her presence, it seemed.

She asked him, and he revealed to her the secret he had kept to himself for so long. One of her mother's ex-husbands was his father. She couldn't even understand something like that. She didn't even know how to feel about it. The chance of a man she barely knew—certainly not as a father—being Link's father. Even before they met, they had this vague connection neither of them could have known about.

Zelda fluffed the pillow in her hands and tossed it back on the bed, following close behind it. Staring at the door to her room she felt fresh tears spring forth to fill the emotional void the day had caused.

She could deal with having a stepfather related to Link. She barely knew the man, so what did it matter to her?

She grabbed the pillow and covered her face with it, muffling the sobs and soaking up the tears.

Whatever he wanted to do with his father—whatever business he had with her stepfather was his. She could deal with that, and she was even okay helping him find the man he had sought after, but why… Why couldn't he have just _told _her?

Parents who ignored her, fake friends, and she finally chose to thaw her icy heart for this man. Look at how that had turned out.

The tears flowed freely down her face, all because of him, and yet she still wondered where he was, what he was doing, and mostly she wondered…

_Did you ever love me?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_I think it's high time to reveal this story's song: _Harder to Breathe_, by Maroon 5. _


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

I woke up the next day feeling well rested and ready to take on the world, or at least my father. I thought about going to school, but opted out of it. Sitting in a classroom for seven hours straight would drive me insane; all I'd be able to think about would be meeting _him _after class. As I pulled my pants on and started looking for my shoes I noticed a piece of paper on the floor.

"Weird," I muttered, bending down and picking it up. Just a blank piece of paper? I flipped it over and an unexpected rush of emotion hit me. Zelda's number.

For the first time in my life I stood still.

I raced through life, crashed through everything I did, and never once did I stop or look back. I never had a reason to. By all rights I should be walking out the door right now, on my way to my father's house, so why did just seeing her number keep me frozen like this?

Maybe it was just guilt from confessing that I had used her last, but it didn't feel like calling and apologizing would really thaw me out. I thought back to the first time I had talked to her and when I rescued her from those thugs in the alley. I thought back to the feeling I got when our eyes met, before my mind was clouded with the single desire to track down my father again.

Gods, I really became obsessed with him over the years, and recently was just the climax of a build up of unfinished business and raw emotion. What had been the point of my life up until now?

I walked back over to my bed and sat down, feeling numb, still clutching the tiny piece of paper that had moved me so.

When I left my home, I knew I could never return to it. That was a simple fact at the time, and all I could focus on was surviving. I never had time to think about anything else. Once I started working, found some friends, and started living a semi-stable life it started to creep back into my mind. I had grown complacent, and then it slowly started brewing. It wasn't that I'd never said good-bye to my father, but it was because I needed to say good-bye to him to move on with my life.

Or so I had thought.

Maybe a psychologist could tell me why I started obsessing over seeing him again, but even I knew it was probably just because of my fucked up relationship with him. People wanted closure all the time. That's why criminals returned to the scene of the crime, right?

I had my closure though.

I had it in my school, my friends, my work, hell, even being able to pay rent every month. I proved to him that I wasn't a worthless piece of shit, even if he never saw it for himself. I proved to myself that I was worth it—that my life was worth living. Gods why hadn't I realized that sooner? I didn't need to see him again, did I?

I reclined on the bed and closed my eyes, already knowing the answer. No, of course not.

Then it really hit me: I had treated Zelda like trash because I couldn't come to terms with my own life, so I had to drag her down with me.

The first time I saw her, I knew there was something different about her, and I really did think _we _might work out. Then he—no, I—tainted that one relationship I thought I might actually be able to survive. I threw away the best thing in my life—the best chance I had at a fulfilled life—because I was too blind to see what was so obvious now.

I stood back up, knowing what I had to do. Taking off at a jog I headed towards Zelda's house. Maybe she was in school now, but it didn't matter, I would wait for her. I could think of everything I needed to tell her, and how I was going to tell her. Even though it dawned on me _why _I threw her away to find my father, I couldn't quite put it in words just yet.

My life never depended on my father, but I felt like if I didn't make up with Zelda, then knowing as much wouldn't matter anyways.

I had to tell her how I really felt the day we met, and maybe if I was lucky, she felt the same thing. And then maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to forgive me some day, and maybe, just maybe, we can start over and try again.

Her house loomed in the distance, but something seemed off about it. The whole neighborhood seemed too quiet, for one thing, but maybe that was normal for early Monday morning. No, something else was wrong, and it was only her house.

I frowned to myself as I got closer. It looked like someone was having a major barbeque behind her house; smoke was billowing up in clouds, with heat waves making the air shimmer. With each step the smoke clouds grew bigger, and suddenly my heart felt like it dropped to my stomach as I realized what was wrong. The fire wasn't behind her house at all.

Her house _was_ on fire.

I sprinted the rest of the way, panic consuming me as rapidly as the flames consumed her house. Why hadn't the neighbors called yet? Surely someone must've noticed the fire by now.

I came to a halt outside the front door, the sinking feeling only getting worse. It looked as if though someone had tampered with the lock, and sure enough, the door swung open easily. A blast of heat seared my face, but I ignored it and ran in. Now wasn't the time to hesitate. The semi-familiar house seemed like a maze ablaze. I wasn't even sure where her room was before, let alone now that the fire had blocked some pathways and opened up new ones.

Luckily the stairs, maybe because they were at the center of the house and the fire seemed to be coming from the back, were still intact and relatively untouched—for the time being anyways. I dashed upstairs and rammed down the first door I saw, not slowing for a moment. Flames shot out of the room, licking at the frame of the door, trying to escape into the rest of the house. I squinted my eyes, peering around the flames as best I could, but it looked like the room was fairly vacant.

I gritted my teeth and moved to the next room, kicking it in to avoid the burst of fire from within. It looked similar to the last room: empty and unused.

_Damn it! This house is too damn big!_

The next door seemed vaguely familiar, but it also seemed to be the starting point for the fire, as the door itself had partially burned away, unlike the previous doors which were still whole. Kicking in the door was easy enough, but the heat from within was nearly unbearable.

_Goddesses, please don't let her be in here,_ I prayed silently. It didn't seem like anything in such an inferno could possibly have survived, but I had to check just in case. I couldn't turn away now. Dropping to all fours I crawled into the room, smoke clogging my lungs and stinging my eyes. Slowly it dawned on me why the room's door had looked familiar. This was the room I had woken up in a couple of times before.

I looked over towards the bed, ignoring the cracking of wooden supports snapping. _Shit._

Someone was lying in the bed, unmoving. I scrambled over and pulled the blanket off to reveal Zelda, bound and gagged. I dragged her off the bed and undid the binds, an anger brewing in me worse than any I'd ever known. I gently tapped her tear-stained cheek, trying to bring her back into consciousness.

"Wake up, Zelda," I begged. "Wake up." A loud groaning noise caused me to look up in time to see the roof physically shifting. I had to get her out now.

Tossing her prone form over my shoulders I hurried out of the room as quickly as possible. I moved towards the stairs, praying they'd still be there, as the fire had rapidly spread during my relatively short search in the house. Just as I had almost reached the swiftly burning stairs my foot crashed through the weakened floor, throwing me off balance and nearly causing my to lose Zelda.

I struggled and tugged my foot, trying to free it from the unexpected trap, but it wouldn't budge.

"Fuck," I howled, collapsing on the ground, gently laying Zelda out beside me. Using both hands and feet now I twisted and pulled at my foot, but still to no avail. I buried my face in my hands, breathing unsteadily as I tried to think of a solution. The fire had weakened the entire house. There was no telling how much longer it would stand if someone didn't do something about the blaze soon. Zelda started to shift and slowly open her eyes, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Zelda!" I exclaimed. "Are you all right?" I reached over and helped her sit up.

"Link?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and coughing a bit. "What's going on?"

"The house is on fire," I explained as calmly as possible. This was good. If she was awake then she could walk out of the house on her own. "I need you to stay calm and listen very carefully to me." I couldn't believe I could honestly talk about staying calm when I was freaking out myself.

"How did this happen?" she gasped, panic starting to overtake her.

"Look, it doesn't matter," I said, reaching out and trapping her face between my hands. "You need to get out of here right now."

"What about you?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm stuck," I answered, gesturing towards my trapped foot. "But I can get out on my own, okay? You can't wait for me though."

She started shaking her head before I could even finish. "No! I can't just leave you here!"

I released my hold on her and slammed my fist on the floor. "Damn it Zelda, I know you're probably still mad at me, but I need you to listen to me right now."

"This isn't about being mad!" she exclaimed, leaning forward. "This is about not leaving the man I love to die!"

My heart skipped a beat, and for all the fire and smoke around us it felt as if time slowed down for just a moment. Almost like the goddesses were giving me one last gift, and that was all it took. I grabbed her by her shoulders and closed the distance between us, not wasting time on pointless words. She kissed me back readily enough, but I broke it off after only a brief moment.

"This isn't the time," I said, releasing her shoulders. "Go now, and I promise we'll talk after."

"But Link—!" she started to protest.

"You've given me a reason to wake up every morning," I exclaimed, cutting her off, "so I'm not about to die now! Now go!"

She hesitated, but only for a moment as a loud crash down the hallway, followed by a sudden shift in the fire, indicated that the house had started collapsing. She stood up, took the last few steps to stairs, and turned around.

"I love you," she yelled back.

Despite the ever-increasing heat of the fire I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "I love you too," I answered, watching as she spared me one last smile before turning and running down the stairs. Moments after she made it downstairs I heard an ear-bursting _crash_, and knew that the stairs must've collapsed.

Well, I would worry about that if—when—I freed my foot. Straining and twisting it got me nowhere. I tried to kick at the hole with my free foot and enlarge it, but I couldn't manage to put enough force behind it. How? How did I get out? The house shifted again and mere inches from where I sat struggling helplessly a beam crashed down, splintering and throwing shards of wood everywhere.

I shielded my eyes reflexively, and suddenly the entire floor where I sat collapsed, leaving me sitting on nothing but air. Falling, I realized that the beam must've had enough force to split the floor open. I crashed onto a pile of burning wood—probably the remnants of the second story floor—and scrambled off it quickly, finally settling on solid ground again.

My erratic heartbeat nearly drowned out the sounds of the raging fire, as I looked around trying to regain my bearings. I looked ahead to see the door, no more than six yards away. I was going to make it out. Shakily I stood up and stumbled a couple of steps towards the door.

Suddenly a loud cracking and popping—louder even than the collapse of the stairs—filled my ears. I looked up in time to see the center of the roof bow for a moment, groaning and stretching, before snapping and sending the entire roof hurtling towards me.

* * *

><p><em>Wake up Link. <em>

I shifted restlessly, light starting to pool around the edge of the darkness.

_Wake up Sweetheart. Someone very special is waiting for you._

The voice sounded so familiar.

_She's crying. Don't let her cry._

Mom?

Suddenly the air rushed back into my lungs and I shot straight up, receiving a rush of blood to my head in return, nearly causing me to black out again.

"Link?" a familiar voice asked, sounding strained. "Link, are you okay?"

"Zelda?" I murmured, rubbing my eyes with my right hand. Looking to my left I saw the ruble of the still smoldering house.

"Oh thank the goddesses you're alive," she choked out, tears running down her cheeks and splashing onto my face.

"Hey, it's okay," I assured, my voice not sounding quite right either from the smoke inhalation or my throbbing eardrums. "What happened?" She continued to cry, which worried me. What _had _happened? And why didn't she stop crying? I was okay, and clearly she was okay too. What was there to cry about? The house could be rebuilt.

"I was standing outside, waiting for the fire department to arrive," she sobbed. "And then the whole house just… just fell in on itself, and…" Her crying only worsened until finally I reached out a hand and gently caressed her cheek.

"Zelda, it's going to be okay now," I whispered, concern for her overriding all other thoughts.

"No," she mumbled, tears still streaming down her face. "Oh, Link. Oh, Link."

I sat there confused for a moment, not certain what to do. Deciding to do a quick once over I stretched out my legs, all ten toes wiggled fine. I rubbed the back of my neck, stretching and turning my head to both sides. No headaches, not even a bump it seemed like, although after having an entire roof fall on my head I would let the doctors be the judge of that. My right hand was functioning well, obviously. I brought up my left hand to poke at my ribs to check for broken ones.

Or, I tried to anyways.

Normally you never really think about moving your fingers or anything like that, you just do it. Now though I forced myself to focus on sending the signal from my brain, down my arm, and to my fingers, but the message wasn't getting through. It was about that time that the adrenaline started to wear off and the pain blitzed me. I turned to look at my arm, already knowing what I would see.

Below my elbow was a mess of blood and fragments of a non-existent bone. I squeezed my eyes shut and looked away from the mess, knowing that if I focused on it I would pass out again. The pain was moments from doing that as it was.

"Zelda," I said, my voice straining for different reasons now. "Please stop crying and look at me."

Her eyes met mine and I reached out with my right hand to caress her face again. "Oh gods. Link, I'm so sorry," she whispered, eyes still brimming with unshed tears.

"It's not your fault," I told her firmly, despite the agony—both physical and mental. She wasn't at fault for my arm getting smashed up, but recalling the broken lock and the state I had found her in, I had a feeling someone was. "Do you know how the fire started?"

Carefully keeping eye contact with me, she nodded. "I remember sitting on my bed, and then a man came in and attacked me," she explained, eyes distant as she recalled the events. "It was early this morning—I called into school saying I wasn't feeling well."

"What did he look like?" I demanded. "What did he want?"

Zelda chewed on her bottom lip anxiously, looking away from me. "He was looking for you, I think."

"Who?" I asked again, the same sinking feeling I had earlier returning.

"Your dad," she whispered. I felt something inside me snap as a white, blinding rage took over. I scrambled to my feet; jerking my shirt off and roughly tying it above my left elbow as best I could to stop the bleeding. Taking a few clumsy steps towards the street I recalled where he lived. The house was only in the next neighborhood over—a trashy neighborhood compared to this one, but where else would you expect to find trash if not a dumpster?

I didn't make it very far though. Zelda rushed over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to stop me from going, but it would've been futile if not for what I saw standing on the edge of the street, or rather, who I saw.

"You fucking bastard," I spat, shaking Zelda's hand off and taking a few unsteady steps towards him. "You son of a bitch."

"Hello, _son_," he answered, not bothering to keep the disgust out of his voice. "You look miserable, not that I'm surprised."

"You could have killed her!" I screamed, stumbling closer and closer until I was right in his face. "Why the fuck did you do this?" I screamed, gesturing back at the collapsed house with my good hand.

"Because I hate seeing you happy," he growled back, eyes filled with an unrestrained loathing. "I hate even knowing you're alive."

I grabbed him by the front of his shirt with my good hand and screamed in his face, "Then fucking kill me. Do it right now, but don't you dare ever touch her again."

"Link," Zelda whispered worriedly, but I didn't even register her voice. My focus was completely on the man before me, the man we both—at one point or another—knew as father.

"You're not worth killing," he replied, spitting off to the side and freeing himself from my grasp. He took a step back and glared evenly at me.

"Not worth killing, unlike mom, hu?" I demanded, feeling all of the cooped up hate and anger burn from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

"You killed her!" he screamed, his semi-calm demeanor completely shattered. "It's your fault she's dead, not mine!"

"My fault?" I echoed hysterically. "My fault you strangled the life from her?"

"Everything was fine before you were born," he roared. "Then you came along and suddenly it was all about the kid. Fuck me; the only one that mattered was the bouncing bundle of joy. Fuck that. Fuck you!" He dashed forward and landed a punch square on my jaw before I could even flinch, knocking my sprawling.

I quickly jumped up and rushed him, tackling him and throwing both of us into the middle of the street.

"Link!" I heard Zelda scream somewhere in the back of my mind, but all I could focus on was gaining the upper hand and giving my dear old dad what he deserved.

We rolled back and forth on the scorching blacktop of the road, exchanging punches, for a few minutes until I managed to pin him with a solid punch to the jaw, causing him to go limp for a moment. I grabbed the front of his shirt again before he could toss me off and raised his head up so that our faces were inches from each other.

"I hope you burn in hell, bastard," I hissed before slamming his head against the pavement. Hearing the satisfying crack I raised his head up and slammed it down again and again and again, until I felt someone tugging at my shirt, trying to pull me off. Finally I released his shirt and turned to glare at whoever it was interrupting me.

Zelda stood behind me, tears streaming down her face. "Please stop," she whispered. "Please. I can't stand to see you like this." I looked back at my old man and noticed the pool of blood his head rested in, which was enough to shock me back to my senses at last. Zelda offered her hand to me, and I took it, pulling myself up.

Trembling I stood there, looking at the smoldering house for a long minute before I turned back to the man on the ground before me. I swallowed hard, and then felt the tears fall from my eyes.

Off in the distance I heard sirens, and next to me Zelda took my hand in hers once more.

"It's over now."


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen (Epilogue)_

"Link!"

I turned to see a middle-aged man waddling over to me, looking way too proud for his own good.

"Oh, hey," I greeted my now ex-principal casually. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you," he beamed, actually looking like he was on the verge of joyous tears. "When you came to me last year asking for a second chance, well let's be honest, neither of us really expected you to thrive on it."

I laughed a bit and scratched the back of my head, refraining from telling him off. Of course _I_ knew I could do it. He was the only one who doubted me. Today was special, though, and I wasn't going to ruin it by getting worked up over the ignorance of certain people—especially people I'd never see again.

"Not only did your attendance and grades sky-rocket within the school," he continued, "your reputation outside of school even became a source of pride for me."

I continued to smile back at him wordlessly, thinking about my so-called reputation outside of school. He was talking about the fire that had burned down Zelda's house.

After the police and firemen arrived, her parents were contacted and they made a beeline back home. When they showed up they wouldn't talk or even _look_ at anyone else until after they had Zelda, safe and sound, in their arms. I'd never seen Zelda as happy as she was when they said how grateful they were that she was unharmed. It seemed like, with her safe, it didn't even matter that their house had been burned down.

Finished with their happy, tearful reunion, they had turned to me on Zelda's word. I explained what had happened, apologizing for my father and my behavior upon our first meeting. They wouldn't even hear of it though, instead thanking me for saving their daughter's life, despite the personal cost. Telling me to rest assured, they promised that they would take care of everything, including but not limited to my hospital bill.

My left arm, from the elbow down, had been totally obliterated when the house collapsed with me trapped inside. What was left of it had to be amputated, which caused me a lot of frustration, to say the least. Even to this day I unthinkingly tried to use my left hand, only to be reminded that it no longer existed each time.

As for my father, he was arrested and taken away on a charge of arson, and was eventually locked away for arson and attempted murder. His penalty was almost assured before the trial even started, though, because as it turned out Zelda's parents were both fairly renowned lawyers. This explained the large house, as well as the assurance that they would foot all of the bills. They sucked my old man dry before locking him up, and the family moved into a new (slightly smaller, but equally impressive) house by the time summer rolled around.

While they were in the process of moving and locking away my so-called father, I chose to keep to myself and sort things out on my own sweet time. I avoided seeing Zelda after I was discharged from the hospital, telling her I needed time to come to terms with all that had happened. I sorted through the mess, including the voice that had awoken me after the house collapsed, and eventually found peace with all that had happened.

Something deep down told me that my mother was happy, wherever she was, and I knew for a fact that my father would never haunt me—waking or dreaming—again. Knowing that, I also knew it was time for me to move on with my life, and to become the best person I could possibly be for Zelda, for my mother, in spite of my father, and most of all, for my own sake.

Zelda, in light of all that had happened, and after we had a lengthy discussion with her parents about my strange behavior previously, decided to give _us _another chance. Then, that summer, I did something I had never done before: I studied, and with Zelda's help and a small miracle I found myself here today.

"Well, congratulations on the diploma, my boy," my ex-principal said, bringing me back to the present. "I know you'll go far with it."

"Thank you, Sir," I answered, nodding. He waved and walked off to visit with another student, leaving me standing there unsure of what to do now. I would continue to work at that jacked up café over the summer, and I had been accepted to a local community college, so I guess I'd be doing that this fall. But right now? All I could do was stand there, marveling again at how different life felt compared to just over a year ago.

A gentle breeze teased my shaggy hair, and the sun seemed brighter today for some reason. Maybe I was just feeling overly nostalgic. I breathed in a deep lungful of untainted air. Untainted with worry or doubt or fear.

"Good to be alive," I breathed, not caring if I had the stupidest look on my face.

"Day dreaming again?" a familiar voice asked. If I wasn't making a stupid face before, now I knew I definitely was. "It's a miracle that you made it to graduation."

"I had a really excellent tutor," I replied, turning and smirking at Zelda. "Plus she was smoking hot, so it was easy to concentrate."

She pulled a face. "Was?"

Chuckling I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "Mhm, she only gets better everyday. Now I don't even know how to describe her."

"You're so corny," she said, giggling.

"Only for you," I whispered, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. Pulling away she reached up and rubbed my left shoulder affectionately, her face somber.

"Link," she whispered, voice thick with guilt even after all this time.

"How many times have I told you it's not your fault?" I asked, using my good hand to capture her chin and turn her face towards me again.

"If it hadn't been for me, then you never would've lost it," she whispered sadly.

"Zelda, do you know how I passed time in the hospital?" I asked, smiling gently at her. She shook her head in the negative. "I thought about it long and hard, and I reached a conclusion."

"About what?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"If I would ever run into another burning building to save you," I answered, embracing her and resting my chin on top of her head. "Of course I knew the answer right off the bat, so it kind of sucked as a way to pass the time." I paused for a moment, thinking back over all that had happened. "I would run into any burning building, I would lose any limb, I would lose my _life_, if it meant saving you."

"What made that so easy to decided?" she asked, leaning back to get a better look at my face, honest curiosity shining in her eyes.

"You gave me my life back," I whispered. "So why wouldn't I risk it for you?" Before she could come up with a response to that, her parents approached us, so I released her and stood an intimate, yet respectful distance from her.

"Congratulations, Link," her father said, offering his hand. I grasped it firmly, giving it a quick shake, and thanked him.

"Oh, Zelda," her mother cooed, brimming with joy. "We're so proud of you!"

"We're proud of both of you," her father amended. "Link, have you re-considered our offer at all?" Knowing he meant his offer to house and feed me—basically adopt me—I shook my head respectfully.

"No, my answer's the same," I answered. "I've lived on my own so long that I probably couldn't stand living in an actual house with people again." Her father chuckled good-naturedly at that, and nodded.

"The offer will always stand, if you ever do reconsider," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "You know you're like a son to us."

"Thank you, Sir," I replied, a now familiar smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

Zelda would be attending some hot-shot university, mostly on her own grades and record, but a powerful essay or two, as well as a healthy financial donation from her parents, secured her place there. I wasn't sure how much we'd be able to get together when college rolled around in the fall, but I knew we'd never lose touch with each other. Actually, looking between her parents and her, and feeling like a part of her family already, I had a feeling it would go beyond keeping in touch.

I stopped running because of her, and I knew without a doubt that we would continue to walk through life together, no matter what crap it threw our way.

_Bring it on._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Hello there everyone! Thanks so much for making this little 'side project' such a success. I couldn't have done it without your support and kind words, and I hope the ending didn't disappoint. Until next time, write on!_


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